TEHRAN: Iran said Friday it was giving diplomacy a “genuine” chance in nuclear talks with the United States despite mounting pressure from Washington, setting the stage for a showdown in Oman this weekend.
Longtime adversaries Iran and the United States are set to hold talks on Saturday in Muscat, aimed at reaching a potential nuclear deal. President Donald Trump on Monday made a shock announcement that his administration would open negotiations with Iran.
In the lead-up to Saturday talks, the longtime adversaries have engaged in a war of words that saw Trump threaten military action if the discussions fail.
Responding to Trump’s threat, an aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran could expel UN nuclear inspectors, prompting in turn a US warning that such action would be an “escalation”.
On Friday, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran was “giving diplomacy a genuine chance in good faith and full vigilance.”
“America should appreciate this decision, which was made despite their hostile rhetoric,” Baqaei said in a post on X.
Saturday’s talks come after Trump sent a letter last month to Khamenei, urging negotiations and warning of possible military action if Tehran refuses.
Tehran responded weeks later, saying it was open to indirect negotiations and dismissed the possibility of direct talks as long as the United States maintains its “maximum pressure” policy.
Trump said the talks would be “direct” but Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has insisted they would be “indirect”.
Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff will lead the talks.
Ahead of the planned meeting, Washington continued its “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions on Iran, most recently targeting its oil network and nuclear programme.
Threats
On Wednesday, Trump said military action against Iran was “absolutely” possible if talks failed to produce a deal.
Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Khamenei, later warned such threats could prompt measures including the expulsion of UN nuclear watchdog inspectors from Iran.
He further said that Iran might consider transferring “enriched materials to secure locations,” referring to the country’s uranium enrichment.
Khamenei aide says Iran could expel UN nuclear inspectors ahead of US talks
Washington responded by saying the threat was “inconsistent with Iran’s claims of a peaceful nuclear programme” and that expelling UN nuclear inspectors would be “an escalation and a miscalculation on Iran’s part.”
Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.
Tehran has long been wary about engaging in talks with Washington, often citing previous experience and undermined trust.
During his first term, Trump unilaterally withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed sweeping economic sanctions.
Tehran adhered to the 2015 deal for a year after Washington withdrew from it, but later began rolling back its own commitments.
Baqaei said Iran will “neither prejudge nor predict” ahead of Saturday’s talks in Oman, a long-established venue for Iranian talks.
“We intend to assess the intentions and seriousness of the other side on Saturday and adjust our next moves accordingly,” said Baqaei.
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