Iran’s president reaffirmed Sunday that the Islamic Republic refuses direct talks with the U.S. over its accelerating nuclear program, marking Tehran’s first response to a letter from President Donald Trump to the country’s supreme leader.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran’s reply, conveyed through Oman, left the door open for indirect negotiations.
However, no progress has been made since Trump unilaterally pulled the U.S. out of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018.
In the years since, regional tensions have boiled over into attacks at sea and on land.
Then came the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, which saw Israel target Hamas leaders across Iran's self-described “Axis of Resistance.”
Now, as the U.S. conducts intense airstrikes targeting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, the risk of military action against Iran’s nuclear program remains on the table.
“We don’t avoid talks; it’s the breach of promises that has caused issues for us so far,” Pezeshkian said in televised remarks. “They must prove that they can build trust.”
The White House offered no immediate reaction to the announcement.
Trump’s letter came as both Israel and the U.S. have warned they will never let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon, leading to fears of a military confrontation as Tehran enriches uranium at near-weapons-grade levels – something only done by atomic-armed nations.
Iran has long maintained its program is for peaceful purposes, even as its officials increasingly threaten to pursue the bomb.
Since Trump returned to the White House, his administration has consistently said Iran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons.
However, a report in February by the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog said Iran has accelerated its production of near-weapons-grade uranium.
Trump also ordered the drone strike that killed Iran’s top general in Baghdad in January 2020.
