Iranian President Masoud Pazeshkian has ruled out direct talks with US President Donald Trump. He said Iran is not opposed to talks, but is only open to indirect ones. The Trump administration has threatened to bomb Tehran and impose additional economic sanctions if it does not agree to a deal.
President Pezeshkian said after the cabinet meeting that the US must first correct its mistakes. According to him, direct talks are not possible until the US can win trust. Iran responded to the US President’s letter via Oman, indicating that it had rejected the offer of direct talks.
Meanwhile, US President Trump said in an interview with NBC that the US could bomb Iran if it does not comply with the deal. He also threatened to reimpose tough economic sanctions, just like they did four years ago. According to analysts, Iran is right to distrust Trump, as he abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal.
Kamal Kharazi, an advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that all doors to talks with the US were not closed. He said that through indirect talks, Iran would understand the intentions of the other side and then make the appropriate decision.
According to the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran is not seeking to build nuclear weapons, but it does have the necessary nuclear material. Iran has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful. The Iranian economy has been weakened by US sanctions, making the talks even more important. However, the diplomatic crisis has become more complicated after disagreements over direct talks. —
