Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghtchi, stated on Monday that the country will maintain its current policy and not engage in direct talks with the United States as long as Iran remains under maximum sanctions pressure and is confronted daily with accusations.
Araghtchi emphasized that as long as the other side does not show a change in its attitude towards the Iranian people, the country’s clear policy will remain in place. He also mentioned that the path for indirect talks remains open.
Iran will not miss an opportunity to assert its national interests, the Foreign Minister clarified.
On March 19, Axios news portal reported, citing several sources, that US President Donald Trump had set a two-month deadline in a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for the two sides to agree on a new nuclear deal.
Earlier in March, Trump announced that he had sent a letter to the Iranian leader, aiming to halt the development of Iran’s atomic weapons. “There are two options: military measures or a negotiating solution” Trump said in an interview with the US Fox Business Network, adding that this message had been conveyed to the Iranian leadership.
Trump had announced in 2018 during his first term as US President that the US would withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran and subsequently re-imposed sanctions on the country. The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed in 2015, lifting most international sanctions on Iran in return for the country limiting its nuclear activities.
In mid-February, the Russian President’s spokesperson, Dmitri Peskow, told the Iranian news agency IRNA that Moscow is ready to support Tehran in solving problems related to the Iranian nuclear program.