TEHRAN – Iranian President Masudo Pezeshkian has said that his country will stubbornly defend its rights, defend its rights and maintain the red line during nuclear talks with the US as both sides approach the fifth round of indirect negotiations based on Omani mediation.
“Indirect consultations with the United States are in full cooperation with the leaders of the Islamic Revolution. “And Iran will not withdraw from its principles during this process.”
Pezeshkian also said Tuesday that his administration would not allow Iranian citizens to rely solely on the outcome of negotiations with the United States.
The talks came after President Donald Trump withdrew from an international nuclear deal named JCPOA in 2018 and subsequently imposed sanctions on Iran. The JCPOA provided relief to Tehran sanctions in exchange for a cap on nuclear activity.
In his first term, Trump wanted to add restrictions to the nuclear deal to Iran’s military and foreign policy, but it appears he has withdrawn from those purposes. Analysts believe he may still be meditating on a potential halt of Iran’s uranium enrichment. Tehran has already described as a non-starter. Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi recently pointed out that Iran has the right to enrich uranium under the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT).
On Sunday, under Aragut’s leadership, Iranian negotiators gave a fourth-round speech in Muscat with a US delegation led by the president’s special envoy group Steve Witkov. So far, discussion has been characterized by both parties as positive and demonstrated progress.
The final round of the meeting came in the shadow of Witkov’s controversial remarks. Witkov told the US media outlet earlier in the week that Iran should dismantle some of its nuclear facilities and stop enriching uranium. Given the fact that a fifth round is scheduled, it is likely that Witkov did not raise those requests during Sunday’s tournament in Muscat.
Iran’s Minister of Political Affairs and Foreign Affairs and a member of the country’s negotiation team, Majid Tak e Ravanch, told journalists at the main signature event in Tehran that Witkov’s controversial comments would erode trust in the ongoing diplomatic process.
“The big issue that exists is the fact that we continue to hear contradictory positions from the US side, which makes everything much more difficult than what it has to be.” The diplomat added that the location and time for the next round of discussion has yet to be decided, but Iran will proceed “with his eyes open.”
Takht-e-Ravanchi said another constructive approach by the US is to cling to the so-called maximum pressure campaign. “Sansions put pressure on different segments of the population. Our efforts in diplomatic devices are to do our best to eliminate sanctions within the framework of the country’s policy,” he explained. Washington has already renewed debilitating sanctions against Iran multiple times since talks began in early April, with the last announcement being made on Monday.
Meanwhile, Rafael Grossi, Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is trying to surrender himself to bilateral debate. He recently told Argentine media outlets that even the largest military campaigns could not completely destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, and that Tehran is a massive country that can rebuild facilities. The IAEA Chief also offered to share his “knowledge” about Tehran’s nuclear program with the Washington negotiation team.
The Tehran Times previously learned that the European troika (UK, France, Germany) had instructed IAEA Director Grossi to block Iran and the US diplomacy in exchange for his support.