Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that Tehran was open to the idea of indirect talks with the US but rejected direct negotiations in the face of increasing US sanctions.
“The way is open for indirect negotiations,” Aragchi said, according to AFP, adding that there would be no direct talks until “there is a change in the other side’s approach toward the Islamic republic.”
Iranian leaders have repeatedly dismissed the idea of talks with the US in response to President Trump re-imposing his “maximum pressure campaign” against Tehran and increasing military threats from US officials. But Aragchi’s comments suggest Iran is still open to diplomacy through mediators.
His remarks came a day after US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz demanded that Iran give up its entire civilian nuclear program, which would be a non-starter for negotiations with Iran.
While there’s much hype from US officials about Iran’s nuclear program, there’s no evidence Tehran has decided to build a bomb, and President Trump has acknowledged that Iranian leadership doesn’t desire nuclear weapons.
President Trump recently sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which reportedly gave Iran a two-month deadline to reach a deal with the US. According to Axios, if an agreement isn’t reached by then, the chance of US and Israeli military action against Iran will increase significantly.
The chances of war with Iran are also rising as President Trump is blaming Tehran for attacks launched by Yemen’s Houthis in the wake of the US restarting its bombing campaign on Yemen.
