Iran has sent a response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s letter that had urged it to negotiate a new nuclear deal, Iran’s state media has reported.
Abbas Araghchi, the Islamic Republic’s foreign minister, confirmed on March 27 that a response was delivered through Oman.
No details have been released about the Iranian response. The Epoch Times contacted the State Department for comment, but did not hear back by press time.
While the content of the letter has not been made public, Trump has said he proposed direct negotiations between the United States and Iran to peacefully resolve tensions surrounding Tehran’s expanding nuclear program.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on March 7, the president reiterated that Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons and suggested that an agreement could be reached involving Iranian oil. If not, he warned, military action was on the table.
“Hopefully, we will have a peace deal,” he said. “I’m just saying I'd rather see a peace deal than the other. But the other will solve the problem.”
The presidential memo, among other things, orders the Treasury and State departments to “drive Iran’s export of oil to zero, including exports of Iranian crude to the People’s Republic of China.” It also directs the Treasury to prevent Iran from using Iraq’s financial system to evade sanctions and to make sure that Gulf countries do not become transshipment points for Iranian oil.
Meanwhile, Khamenei has dismissed the idea of direct talks with Washington, declaring that Tehran would not negotiate with “bullying governments.”
Without explicitly naming the United States, he accused “bullying governments” of not only trying to interfere with Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but also undermining its defensive capabilities and international influence.
“Negotiations are a means and way for them to make new demands,” he said. “They’re making new demands that Iran will definitely not fulfill.”
