Iran said on Friday that it was giving “genuine chance” to high-level nuclear negotiations with the United States after President Donald Trump threatened to bomb the country if the discussions failed.
The Republican made a surprise announcement on Monday (7) that Washington and Tehran would start conversations in Oman, a state of the gulf that has acted as a mediator between the West and the Islamic Republic.
Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, which in the first term removed the US from a great power agreement with Tehran in 2015, again brought a harsher approach to a power of the Middle East whose Israel nuclear program, Washington’s ally, considers an existential threat.
At the same time, Iran and allied groups were weakened by the military offensive that Israel launched in the region, including air attacks in the country, after being attacked from Gaza by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in October 2023.
Iranian state media reported that the negotiations would be led by Foreign Minister Araqchi, and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, with Oman’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr al-Busaidi as an intermediary.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the US should value the Islamic Republic’s decision to engage in negotiations, despite what they called Washington’s “predominant conflict.”
“We intend to evaluate the other party’s intention and resolve the issue this Saturday,” published spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei at X. “With serious seriousness and surveillance, we are giving diplomacy a genuine chance.”
Iranian Foreign Deputy Minister Majid Takht-e Ravanchi was quoted by the Semi-official news agency saying, “Without threats and intimidation from the US, there is a good possibility of reaching an agreement.”
He added: “We reject any intimidation and coercion.”
The US air strikes against the yamen hethis, which are aligned with Iran and have reached international sea routes in the Red Sea in support of Hamas, generated speculation that Washington could be preparing to attack the country.
Meanwhile, Israel resumed the devastating military campaign against Hamas, which also received support from Iran after several weeks of truce, and the ceasefire with the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, supported by Iran, remains fragile.
Search for an agreement
Iran had rejected direct negotiations with Washington before Trump announced on March 30: “If they do not reach an agreement, there will be bombing, and they will be bombing like never before.”
Iranian “important and practical” proposals were prepared in search of a “real and fair” agreement, said Shamkhani, advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an X publication.
“If Washington participates in negotiations with sincere intentions and genuine will to reach an agreement, the way to an agreement will be clear and quiet,” added Shamkhani.
Since Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 agreement that restricted Iran’s uranium enrichment activity, considering the deal deeply failed, Tehran has accumulated a refined uranium stock at levels close to what would be suitable for nuclear pump fuel.
Iran agreed, in the agreement signed during the government of US President Barack Obama to strictly limit the activity of enrichment in exchange for the survey of global economic sanctions.
Tehran states that the program aims exclusively peaceful energy purposes, but the West states that it goes far beyond any civilians and suspects that the country is secretly seeking to develop nuclear weapons capacity.
Direct and indirect negotiations
The confusion came after Trump announced that the negotiations between longtime geopolitical opponents would be direct, while Iran insisted that they would be indirect, with the Omanenses acting as mediators.
Shamkhani said Araqchi was going to his neighbor Oman with “full authority” for indirect negotiations.
The United States and Iran had indirect negotiations during President Joe Biden’s term, which ended in January, but with little or no progress.
The latest direct negotiations known between the two governments were under the Obama government.
This content was originally published in Iran says it will give US negotiations about nuclear plans on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
