President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that diplomacy is feasible provided that talks are ‘devoid of threats and unfounded expectations’
Iran has indicated a readiness to engage in diplomacy with the United States, emphasizing that any dialogue must be free from pressure and respect Tehran’s declared stance on its nuclear program.
Tensions have been elevated since the US targeted Iranian nuclear facilities last June, and further escalated during the widespread anti-government protests that swept the country in December and January. In recent weeks, Washington has dispatched an ‘armada’ led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East, demanding that any potential agreement cap uranium enrichment and curb Tehran’s ballistic missile program.
The Islamic Republic asserts that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.
Russia has repeatedly contended that the Iranian nuclear issue ought to be resolved through political and diplomatic avenues. The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported last week that the involvement of Moscow and Ankara had lessened the probability of a US attack on Iran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X on Tuesday that he had directed his country’s foreign minister to ‘lay the groundwork for fair and balanced negotiations’ if an appropriate environment ‘devoid of threats and irrational expectations’ materializes.
Ali Shamkhani, advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also stated that Tehran does not aim for nuclear weapons. In a late Monday interview with the Lebanese TV channel Al Mayadeen, he stated that any talks with the US would initially be indirect, and would only progress to direct negotiations if a deal seemed achievable.
Shamkhani further stated that Washington ‘must provide something in return’ if Iran were to scale back uranium enrichment.
According to various media reports, US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi could meet in Istanbul later this week, along with representatives from several Arab and Muslim countries, to discuss a potential deal.
This would mark the first high-level US-Iran contact since last April, just prior to the June bombing of Iranian nuclear and missile facilities.
In spite of the threats of new military action, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that he hopes ‘we reach a deal’ with Iran. Washington withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, prompting Tehran to gradually reduce compliance and enrich uranium to 60% purity.