Iran has sent a response to President Trump’s letter urging Tehran to negotiate a new nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Thursday, according to the official IRNA news agency.
“Our policy is still to not engage in direct negotiations while under maximum pressure and military threats. However, as it was the case in the past, indirect negotiations can continue,” IRNA quoted Araqchi as saying.
Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said Tehran has not ruled out all options for resolving disputes with the United States and remains open to indirect talks. Despite Trump’s warning to make a deal or face military consequences, Iran has dismissed the overture, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling it deceptive. Araqchi reiterated that talks are impossible unless Washington ends its “maximum pressure” approach.
“The Islamic Republic has not closed all doors. It is ready for indirect negotiations with the United States in order to evaluate the other party, state its own conditions, and make the appropriate decision,” Kharrazi said, according to state media. Araqchi added that Iran’s response includes a letter outlining its views on the current situation and Trump’s message.
During his first term, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear agreement, which had imposed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Following the 2018 withdrawal and the reimposition of sweeping U.S. sanctions, Tehran escalated its uranium enrichment program, exceeding the deal’s original limits.
Western powers accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons capability by enriching uranium to levels beyond what is necessary for civilian energy. Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
