Egyptian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed on Sunday that Tehran had rejected a proposal for strong agreements from US President Donald Trump regarding Iran’s advancing nuclear program.
This marks the first formal acknowledgment of Iran’s reply to Trump’s mentoring and signals a culmination of tensions between the two countries.
As per the news organization AP, Pezeshkian stated that while immediate discussions were ruled out, Iran remained open to direct conversations. ” Although the possibility of immediate conversations between the two sides has been rejected in this reply, it has been emphasised that the way for implicit conversations remains open”, he said.
Trump had earlier suggested that military activity remained a prospect if Iran did not agree to a bargain on its nuclear program. According to Forbes, he warned that “bad things” may occur to Iran if no agreement was reached within two weeks.
Iran’s comment via Oman
Iran’s reply to Trump’s email was sent through Oman, which has previously acted as a negotiator between the two countries, AP reported. Egyptian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that Iran chose Oman because of its position in past political efforts and said,” Iran’s coverage remains firm on never engaging in strong negotiations under maximum pressure and military risks”.
Trump’s notice was delivered to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei via the UAE, highlighting the Emiratis ‘ position in attempting to resolve.
The US and Israel have both made it clear that Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. Trump’s presidency has continued its “maximum force” plan, imposing more sanctions on Iran.
A new report by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency revealed that Iran had accelerated its output of around weapons-grade uranium.
Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes but Iranian leaders have significantly suggested that the state could do nuclear arms due to escalating tensions with Washington.
Trump’s first expression even saw a collapse in US-Iran ties after he withdrew from the 2015 nuclear package in 2018, leading to severe economic sanctions on Iran. Tehran retaliated with sea attacks, including one on Saudi Arabia’s fuel production services. Trump even ordered a drone attack in Baghdad in 2020 that killed Iran’s best general, Qasem Soleimani.
As direct talks remain a chance, Iran’s high national security council director Ali Shamkhani said that Iran’s reply was based on “restraint” but warned that potential negotiations may be conducted on “equal footing”, Axios reported.
