On Tuesday, Iran said it would not engage in direct talks with the US in response to President Trump reinstating his so-called “maximum pressure” campaign against the Islamic Republic, which has involved new sanctions targeting Iranian oil sales.
“Iran’s position regarding nuclear talks is clear, and we will not negotiate under pressure and sanctions,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was hosting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Tehran.
“There is no possibility of direct negotiations with the US as long as maximum pressure is being applied in this way,” Aragchi added.
Aragchi’s comments align with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said earlier this month that it would not be “wise” to engage in negotiations with the US, citing previous negotiations for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that the US ended up scrapping in 2018.
Last year, Khamenei expressed an openness to direct talks with the US, saying there was “no harm” in engaging with the “enemy.” He made the comments shortly after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in.
Pezeshkian vowed during his campaign to engage directly with Western countries in an effort to get sanctions relief, and Khamenei’s comments appeared to give him the green light to pursue the idea. But since Trump re-imposed “maximum pressure,” both Khamenei and Pezeshkian have discouraged the idea of negotiations with the US.
“If the US were sincere about negotiations, why did they sanction us?” Pezeshkian said on February 10. He added that Tehran “does not seek war…but will not yield to foreign pressure.”
