TEHRAN, Iran: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday said that the United States must abandon its pressure policy if it seeks negotiations with Tehran.
The Foreign Minister’s remarks came as Iran prepares to respond to President Donald Trump’s letter suggesting negotiations on a new nuclear deal.
On March 7, Trump said that he had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging negotiations and warning of potential military action if Iran refused.
Khamenei, however, argued that the US invitation for talks was a tactic to mislead global public opinion by presenting the United States as open to negotiations and Iran as opposed.
Iran’s foreign ministry stated it would conduct a “thorough assessment” before responding to the letter, which was delivered by a senior UAE diplomat on March 12.
Trump, who returned to the White House for a second term in January, has restored his “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions against Iran.
“Under these conditions, it is no longer possible to enter into talks with America. Unless certain approaches change,” Araqchi was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.
“When we say no to negotiations with the US, it stems from a history and experience,” he said, referring to Trump’s withdrawal from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with six major powers in his first term.
“In my opinion, the 2015 pact in its current form cannot be revived. It would not be in our interest because our nuclear situation has advanced significantly and we can no longer return to previous conditions,” Araqchi said.
Tehran has long argued the programme is only for peaceful purposes.
