Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says Iran has decided it is not going to negotiate directly with the United States government for the time being, and that it is a tactic, not a strategy,
IRNA reports.
In an interview with khabaronline.ir, the foreign minister said ongoing negotiations between Iran and the three European countries of France, Germany, and Britain were essentially indirect talks with the United States.
“To say that, as a strategy, we will not negotiate… that’s not how it is. We have negotiated many times [before], including very recently. Our ongoing talks with the three European countries are, in fact, something of an indirect negotiation over our nuclear program,” Araqchi said in the interview, which was published on Sunday.
“The format of negotiations is always relevant in diplomatic relations, whether the two sides talk directly or indirectly. For now, our tactic and method is to have indirect negotiations,” he added.
Araqchi referred to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s rejection of talks with the United States under pressure and given Washington’s past perfidy, and said the policy was sensible.
“In circumstances where there is ‘maximum pressure,’ no one in their sound mind would enter into direct talks,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump on February 4 signed a presidential memo to restore “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic, despite his assertions that he is willing to engage Tehran diplomatically.
On March 12, Trump sent a letter to Iran via an emissary from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While the content of the letter has not been officially announced, Trump has said he has asked Iran that negotiations be opened into a new deal.
Ayatollah Khamenei has reiterated that Iran will not negotiate with the United States because Tehran does not trust that Washington would adhere to any contractual obligations.
