Last Updated:
The remarks from President Masoud Pezeshkian represented the first official acknowledgment of how Iran responded to Trump’s letter.
Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump. (File)
Iran on Sunday rejected direct negotiations with the United States in response to a letter from President Donald Trump who had called for renewed nuclear negotiations and had cautioned of potential military action if Tehran decline.
In its first official acknowledgment of Trump’s letter, Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said, “Although the possibility of direct negotiations between the two sides has been rejected in this response, it has been emphasized that the path for indirect negotiations remains open,” news agency AP reported.
Tehran has maintained its stance against direct negotiations under the current US “maximum pressure” campaign and the looming threat of military action.
Earlier this month, Trump had said that he had sent a letter to Iran in a bid to negotiate a nuclear deal, saying that he hoped the latter would agree to talk.
In the letter, which was addressed to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trump had said, “I think they want to get that letter. The other alternative is we have to do something, because you can’t let another nuclear weapon.”
“There will be some interesting days ahead. I was all set to make a deal in 2020 just when Biden took over. Hopefully we can have a peace deal soon,” he added.
Iran has long maintained its program is for peaceful purposes, even as its officials increasingly threaten to pursue the bomb as tensions are high with the US over its sanctions and after the collapse of a ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei, had earlier indicated that Iran is open to resolving disputes with the US through indirect negotiations, Reuters reported. He had said that Iran is willing to evaluate its conditions and make appropriate decisions through indirect dialogue.
A landmark 2015 deal negotiated under former president Barack Obama — known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. It fell apart after Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2018 in his first presidential term and reimposed sweeping sanctions. Tehran adhered to the deal until a year after Washington pulled out, but then began rolling back its commitments.
Iran has been cautious about a return to diplomacy since the collapse of the JCPOA.
(With inputs from agencies)