Iran asks Trump to end threats, pressure tactics if it wants nuclear talks

By Golnar Motevalli

 

Iran’s foreign minister said his country will enter direct US talks if Washington ends “pressure and threats” against the Islamic Republic, the latest in a series of exchanges with President Donald Trump on the prospects of a fresh nuclear deal.

 

Abbas Araghchi, a former negotiator on Iran’s long-running stand-off with Western governments over its atomic activities, made the comments in an interview published in the state-run Iran newspaper on Thursday. He said indirect talks over Tehran’s nuclear program using a European channel involving the UK, Germany and France are ongoing. 

 

“We will enter direct negotiations when we’re on an equal footing and free of any pressure and threats and when we’re confident that we can secure the national interests of the people,” Araghchi said, adding “ultimately the Americans have to remove the sanctions.” 

 

Iran is among the most sanctioned countries in the world and the vast majority of the penalties are enforced by the US government and directly target crucial oil exports. 

 

Araghchi’s comments suggest Iran is willing to enter talks with Trump if he offers some degree of sanctions relief or suspends his so-called maximum-pressure strategy, which he recently revived with a directive that also targets Iran’s access to conventional weapons. 

 

The foreign minister on Wednesday met with a top government advisor from the United Arab Emirates, who was visiting Tehran to deliver a letter from Trump about starting negotiations. The text of the missive isn’t known and Iran hasn’t yet directly addressed its content.

 

During his first term that ended in 2021, Trump abandoned an agreement with Iran that restricted its nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief. The move triggered a major crisis between Tehran and Washington that was disastrous for Iran’s economy and briefly raised fears of a full-blown war. 

 

Iran significantly expanded its nuclear activity in response to the US imposing tougher sanctions, and the Intentional Atomic Energy Agency has reported a renewed surge in Tehran’s inventory of near-bomb grade enriched uranium since Trump was elected for a second term in November. 

 

Since returning to the White House, Trump has said he wants a new nuclear deal with Iran and won’t allow the country to acquire a weapon. Iran has repeatedly denied it’s pursuing nuclear arms and has refused to engage with the US while it continues to penalize its economy. 

 

In a speech on Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Trump’s overtures are “a trick” that will lead to more sanctions. He also emphasized that his country isn’t pursuing a nuclear weapon and doesn’t want one. 

 

China, a key partner in the original 2015 nuclear deal, said on Wednesday that it’s hosting Iran and Russia for nuclear talks in Bejing on Friday. 

 

The IAEA has urged Tehran and Washington to start talks and avoid any further escalations. 

 

Araghchi said that a “new idea” was under discussion with the Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, that could resolve his outstanding concerns over Iran’s nuclear program. He didn’t give any details.