Foreign Minister said Thursday that Iran has responded to a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump calling for nuclear negotiations and warned that action could be taken if it refuses.
“This official response includes a letter that we have fully explained to the other party about the current situation and Trump’s letter,” Abbas Araghchi told officials. irna news agency.
He added that the letter had been sent to Oman, who had served as an intermediary in the context of U.S.-Iran diplomatic relations in the past.
He did not disclose the nature of the response or when to send it.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio asked the United States whether it had received the letter on a Caribbean Airlines plane, saying: “I won’t comment on it yet.”
He said the United States is expected to respond, “Obviously, the president will decide what steps he wants to take and what steps he wants to take if he wants to.”
Trump pulled the United States out of a deal in 2018 to ease sanctions on Iran in exchange for a curb on his nuclear program, and now he says he is willing to accept diplomatic talks.
The U.S. president revealed in early March that he had sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Meanwhile, Trump has pushed for his “maximum pressure” plan to impose additional sanctions on Tehran, threats to Tehran and threats to military operations if negotiations are refused.
“Our policy still cannot be negotiated directly (with Washington) under the threat of ‘maximum pressure’ and military action, but indirect negotiations that can continue, such as negotiations that have occurred in the past,” Araghchi said.
intermediary
Since 1980, Iran and the United States have no official diplomatic relations.
However, the two countries were indirectly involved in Tehran through the Swiss Embassy, which represents the U.S. interest in Iran.
Oman used to play the role of mediator, and Qatar was also smaller.
Trump’s letter was passed on to Iran by the United Arab Emirates.
Iran agreed to contain its nuclear program in 2015 after negotiating with major powers, including the United States and China.
For decades, Western governments suspected Tehran was pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities, an allegation that denied it, insisting that the plan was for civilian purposes only.
According to the IAEA, Iran continued to respect the deal for a year after Trump withdraws, and then revoked its promise.
The U.S. decision to evacuate was partly powered by Iran’s ballistic missile program, which was not covered by the exchange, and Washington believes it was a threat.
