Iran has expressed openness to indirect negotiations with the United States after President Donald Trump held talks on a new nuclear deal. Foreign Secretary Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that “the road to open is the way to negotiate indirectly” while rejecting the possibility of direct negotiations unless Washington changes its position on Tehran.
Araghchi stressed that Iran will not have direct discussions under threat or that Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy remains. The policy was implemented during Trump’s first term, evacuating the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 and imposing serious economic sanctions on Iran. The deal, signed between Tehran and major world powers, requires Iran to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, and Tehran has repeatedly denied that insisting on its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes.
On March 7, Trump reportedly sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging nuclear talks and warning if Tehran refuses. Iranian news agency Fars reported that the letter was sent on March 12 by UAE Presidential Adviser Anwar Gargash. Khamenei responded on Friday that the U.S. threatened “there will be nowhere to go” and warned that Iran would take reciprocal action if Washington takes action.
Araghchi described Trump’s letter as “more threats” but admitted it could bring some diplomatic opportunities, and Tehran is expected to respond soon. U.S. Middle East envoy Steven Witkoff claimed in an interview published on Friday that Trump’s goal is to prevent military conflict and build trust with Iran. He denied that the letter was intended to be a threat.
After Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States were cut off, which overthrew the Western-backed Shah. Since then, exchanges between the two countries have been facilitated through the Swiss Embassy in Tehran. Furthermore, Oman played a mediation role in indirect negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue through the so-called “Muscat process”. However, Araghchi previously said in October that the channel has temporarily stopped.
