Iranian president responds to letter penned by Trump calling for direct talks to reach a new deal on Iran’s nuclear program, saying US must build trust for negotiations to take place.
By World Israel News Staff
Iran formally rejected an overture by US. President Donald Trump on Sunday to engage in direct talks aimed at reaching an accord on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
Addressing his cabinet, President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that Tehran dispatched a response to a letter penned by Trump and delivered to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei via Oman earlier this month.
Pezeshkian informed cabinet ministers that he had rejected Trump’s proposal for direct talks, while suggesting that brokered negotiations could potentially be a viable option.
Iran’s response to Trump, Pezeshkian said, “rejects the issue of direct negotiations between the two sides; [but] it states that the path to indirect negotiations is open.”
However, Pezeshkian added, the US would first have to take unspecified steps to restore Iran’s trust before talks of any kind could begin. “They must prove that they can build trust,” he said.
“However, as the Islamic Republic had never blocked the paths of indirect negotiations before, this letter [Iran’s reply] has also mentioned that the road to indirect negotiation is left open and has emphasized that Iran has never avoided negotiations.,” he continued.
“This will be the manner of Americans that would determine the continuity of the course of negotiations.”
Trump’s missive, penned in early March, was delivered to Tehran, via Oman, on March 12.
While the contents of the letter have not been publicized, Trump said that he had offered to conduct direct talks while warning of possible military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities if Iran proceeds with its uranium enrichment program.
“I’ve written them a letter saying, ‘I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing,’” Trump said.
Since then, the US has reportedly deployed B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to forward operating bases close enough for strikes on Iran, including at the Camp Thunder Cove base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.