Iran says it rejects direct US ralks in reply to Trump's letter
Published in Political News
Iran has told U.S. President Donald Trump it won’t engage in direct negotiations with his administration, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in televised remarks.
Pezeshkian said the decision was conveyed in Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s response to a letter Trump had sent earlier this month on the prospect of new talks over Tehran’s nuclear program.
He said Iran’s response also indicated that indirect communication with the U.S. would remain a possibility, as it had in the past.
“They must prove that they can build trust regarding their decisions, and I hope this will happen,” Pezeshkian said. “It’s the behavior of the Americans that determines the future path of negotiations.”
In 2018, Trump withdrew the U.S. from an international accord that imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear-enrichment activities in return for sanctions relief. Since the start of his second term, he’s revived the so-called maximum pressure strategy, ramped up sanctions and warned of military action against Iran if efforts for a new deal fail.
Iran delivered its response to Trump’s letter via Oman on Wednesday, according to the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Over the weekend, Araghchi described the letter as containing “both a threat and an opening for diplomacy,” adding that Iran remained skeptical of Trump’s intentions.
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