DUBAI: Iran said on Friday it was giving high-level nuclear talks with the United States on Saturday “a genuine chance”.
President Trump, who in his first term withdrew the US from a 2015 big-power accord with Tehran, made a surprise announcement on Monday that Washington and Tehran would begin talks in Oman.
The talks would be led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi as intermediary.
The Iranian foreign ministry said on Friday the US should value the country’s decision to engage in talks despite what it called Washington’s “prevailing confrontational hoopla”, days after Trump had threatened to bomb Iran if the discussions failed.
“We intend to assess the other side’s intent and resolve this Saturday,” spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei posted on X. “In earnest and with candid vigilance, we are giving diplomacy a genuine chance.”
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-i Ravanchi was quoted by ISNA as saying: “Without threats and intimidation from the American side, there is a good possibility of reaching an accord.
“We reject any bullying and coercion,” he said.
Iran had rejected direct negotiations with Washington before Trump announced on March 30: “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing, and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”
Iran has also been talking with the three European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, Britain, France and Germany.
The 2015 accord saw sanctions relief for Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme.
On Friday, the European Union cautioned that there was “no alternative to diplomacy” on the Iranian nuclear issue.
Earlier, the US imposed additional sanctions on Iran, targeting oil network and nuclear programme.
Iran’s nuclear agency chief Mohammad Eslami downplayed their impact.
“They applied maximum pressure with various sanctions, but they were unable to prevent the country from progressing. They still think they can stop this nation with threats and intimidation, psychological operations, or stupid actions,” he said.
Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2025