Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian says Washington’s past actions have eroded trust between the two countries.
Tehran has dismissed the possibility of direct talks with Washington following President Donald Trump’s proposal for negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program. President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that the US’s actions have damaged trust between the nations, which needs to be restored before any direct discussions can take place.
“Direct negotiations between the two sides have been ruled out. However, indirect negotiations remain a possibility,” the Iranian president stated during a cabinet meeting on Sunday.
President Trump revealed earlier in March that he had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, suggesting renewed talks. In 2018, during his first term, the US unilaterally withdrew from the international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.
Subsequently, Washington reimposed sanctions on Tehran, leading Iran to gradually reduce its commitments under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“Iran has never avoided negotiations, but the US’s non-compliance has created obstacles that must be addressed, and trust must be rebuilt. The Americans’ behavior will determine the future of negotiations,” Pezeshkian said. He added that the response was delivered to the US through Oman and has been received by Washington.
On Sunday, Trump threatened Iran with “bombing” if a deal isn’t reached. He told NBC that “It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before,” and that Washington could also impose “secondary tariffs” on Iran if diplomatic efforts are unsuccessful.
Several American news outlets, including CNN and Axios, have previously reported that Trump has given Iran a two-month deadline to agree to a new deal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also warned last week that the US administration is prepared to take military action against Iran if diplomatic efforts to restart dialogue fail. In response, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, Alireza Tangsiri, stated that Tehran is not afraid of any threats and is prepared to retaliate against any enemy.
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