Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shed light on the upcoming talks between him and the US and made clear that he rejects the plan supported by Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with Iranian state media on Tuesday about the talks between him and US representatives scheduled for Saturday in Oman.
“As announced and as I informed in a tweet last night, the talks will be held in Oman on Saturday. These talks will be held indirectly, and we do not accept any other method of negotiation.”
The Foreign Minister noted that whether the talks are direct or not “is not of primary importance to me. What really matters is the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the negotiations, the seriousness of the parties and their intentions, and their will to reach an agreement.”
Araghchi stated that as far as he knows, he will be meeting with US Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. He explained that Iran is refusing to hold direct negotiations with the US, so they could not “impose their points through pressure and threats.” He claimed that :”indirect negotiations can guarantee a real and effective dialogue. We will also proceed in this way.”
He also explained why Iran agreed that Oman would broker the talks: “We trust Oman as a mediator because of its good history, and we hope to encounter the serious will of the other side to reach a diplomatic solution. This is what is important in negotiations.”
In response to claims that the first round of talks between the two sides would be indirect and then would evolve into direct talks, the Foreign Minister said: “We did not make such an agreement.”
Araghchi rejected the Libyan model, which Prime Minister Netanyahu supports, and would see the total dismantling of the nuclear program. “What the Zionist regime officials have said (the Libyan negotiation model) are their wishes that will never come true. We seek to secure the interests of the Iranian people, and our nuclear program is completely peaceful and legitimate. Security Council Resolution 2231 has also endorsed the legitimacy of our program. Therefore, there is no doubt about this program internationally.”
He added, “Our main goal in the negotiations is to realize the rights of the Iranian people and lift sanctions. If there is real will on the other side, this goal is achievable, and the method is irrelevant, whether it is direct or indirect. At present, our preference is to hold the negotiations indirectly, and we have no plans to make them direct because we do not consider direct negotiations to be useful. If the other side has the necessary and sufficient will, an agreement can be reached. Ultimately, according to the famous phrase, ‘the ball is in America’s court,’ if the other side comes to Oman with real will, we will definitely reach a result.”
On Monday night, Araghchi confirmed in a post on X that Iran and the US will be holding talks but contradicted President Trump’s earlier claim that those talks would be direct.
