TEHRAN – In a message about the start of the Persian New Year, Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut said Iran is working on “diplomacy and dialogue” as an alternative to sanctions and threats over the civilian nuclear program.
Foreign Minister Araguchi has openly mentioned President Donald Trump’s reckless approach to calling for a compromise with Tehran in a nuclear program that has been caught up in the threat of military action.
“We are committed to diplomacy and dialogue,” Araguchi said, “We believe that diplomacy is a more suitable alternative to unilateral policies, unfair pressure, oppressive sanctions, threats and blackmail.”
The statement by the chief diplomat comes nearly two weeks after Trump told Fox Business that he had sent a letter to the leader of the Islamic Revolution asking for a new nuclear deal with Iran. However, his letter was submitted to Iran a week later by the UAE’s senior foreign policy advisor Anwar Gargash.
Axios said Wednesday that Trump’s letter to Ayatollah Khamenei Khamenei includes a two-month deadline to reach a nuclear deal, with one US official and two sources being explained in the letter.
Trump abandoned the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal in May 2018 under a “maximum pressure” policy on Iran. The nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), worked effectively. It provided the most stringent surveillance of Iran’s nuclear activity. Trump has decided on the rash, but the nuclear deal was approved by UN Security Council resolution 2231, and strong opposition by Washington’s European allies was approved.
Araguchi said negotiations must be on an equal footing and in line with the interests of the Iranian state.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been prepared for dialogue and negotiations, but these arguments must arise on an equal footing and serve the interests of the Iranian people,” he argued.
He said Iran remained immovable in its unshakable policy and called the Iranian state “noble and dignified” that “does not succumb to any force.”
The minister argued that Iran will advance foreign policy with the “same logic” of the New Year.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Foreign Minister said, “We will not compromise on even a small portion of the interests of the Iranian people.”