Talks with the U.S. should be pursued to secure national interests as long as "threats and unreasonable expectations" are avoided, President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X on Tuesday (3 February).
“Taking into account demands from friendly regional countries to respond to the U.S. President's suggestion for talks, I instructed the foreign minister to prepare the ground for equitable and fair negotiations, should an atmosphere free of threats and unreasonable expectations arise,” Pezeshkian said.
The comments come amid mounting regional concern that a renewed confrontation between the United States and Iran could destabilise the Middle East.
Speaking at a panel during the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, said the region did not need another crisis and stressed the importance of a diplomatic solution.
“I think the region has gone through various calamitous confrontations. I don’t think we need another one,” Gargash said.
Against this backdrop, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will meet in Istanbul on Friday (6 February) to revive diplomacy over Iran’s long-running nuclear dispute.
A regional diplomat said representatives from countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt will also take part, amid fears of a new regional war.
Tensions have been increasing amid a U.S. naval buildup near Iran, following a violent crackdown against anti-government demonstrations last month, the deadliest domestic unrest in Iran since its 1979 revolution.
Trump, who stopped short of carrying out threats to intervene during the crackdown, has since demanded Tehran make nuclear concessions and sent a flotilla to its coast.
He said last week Iran was "seriously talking", while Tehran's top security official Ali Larijani said arrangements for negotiations were under way.
Asked on Monday (1 February) about the prospect of a deal, Trump told reporters at the White House talks were happening.
"We have ships heading to Iran right now, big ones - the biggest and the best - and we have talks going on with Iran and we'll see how it all works out ... if we can work something out, that would be great and if we can't, probably bad things would happen."
Iranian sources told Reuters last week that Trump had demanded three conditions for resumption of talks: Zero enrichment of uranium in Iran, limits on Tehran's ballistic missile programme and ending its support for regional proxies.
Iran has long rejected all three demands as unacceptable infringements of its sovereignty, but two Iranian officials told Reuters its clerical rulers saw the ballistic missile programme, rather than uranium enrichment, as the bigger obstacle.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was considering "the various dimensions and aspects of the talks", adding that "time is of the essence for Iran as it wants the lifting of unjust sanctions sooner".
Türkiye and other regional allies have sought de-escalation.
"Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt, as well as some other countries, will attend the Istanbul meeting. There will be bilateral, trilateral and other meetings," the diplomat said.
A Turkish ruling-party official told Reuters that Tehran and Washington had agreed to re-focus on diplomacy and possible talks this week, in a potential reprieve for potential U.S. strikes.
Ball in Trump’s court
The Iranian official said diplomacy is ongoing and stressed that talks should resume without preconditions. Iran is ready to show flexibility on uranium enrichment, including handing over 400 kg of highly enriched uranium and accepting zero enrichment under a consortium arrangement.
However, he added, for the start of talks, Tehran wanted U.S. military assets moved away from Iran.
"Now the ball is in Trump's court," he said.
Tehran's regional sway has been weakened by Israel's attacks on its proxies from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq, as well as by the ousting of Iran's close ally, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
In June last year the United States struck Iranian nuclear targets, joining in at the close of a 12-day Israeli bombing campaign. Since then, Tehran has said its uranium enrichment work has stopped.
Recent satellite imagery of two of the targeted sites, Isfahan and Natanz, appears to show some repair work since December, with new roofing over two previously destroyed buildings.
No other rebuilding was visible, according to the imagery provided by Planet Labs and reviewed by Reuters.
Washington-based think tank ISIS said satellite images from late January showed construction work on tunnel entrances at Isfahan that could "indicate a preparation for additional military strikes" as was seen ahead of last year's U.S. strikes.
It could also signal the movement of assets from other facilities, it added.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said it has called on Iran repeatedly to find out what happened to the highly enriched uranium stock since the June attacks.
Western countries fear Iran's uranium enrichment could yield material for a warhead. Iran says its nuclear programme is only for electricity generation and other civilian uses.
The Iranian sources said Tehran could ship its highly enriched uranium abroad and pause enrichment in a deal that should also include the lifting of economic sanctions.
Iran says it is open to talks with countries seeking safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz - disrupted by recent attacks - as Israel continues ...
Canada and the five Nordic countries have agreed to deepen cooperation in military procurement and other areas, in...
Top U.S. and Chinese economic officials launched a new round of talks in Paris on Sunday (15 ...
Ukraine wants money and technology in return for helping Middle Eastern nations that have sought its expertise as ...
French voters head to the polls on Sunday (15 March) to elect their mayors in a closely watched ballot seen as a t...
Iran says it is open to talks with countries seeking safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz - disrupted by recent attacks - as Israel continues to launch wide‑scale strikes on Iranian infrastructure in the west. This live report tracks the latest developments.
Top U.S. and Chinese economic officials launched a new round of talks in Paris on Sunday (15 March) to resolve issues in their trade truce. The discussions aim to smooth the way for U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of March.
The process of evacuating foreign diplomats and citizens from Iran to Azerbaijan through the Astara state border crossing continues on Sunday (15 March), ensuring smooth and efficient transit for those arriving.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 15 March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A long-running investigation has suggested that the street artist known as Banksy may be legally named David Jones. A report indicates that Jones was previously known as Robin Gunningham, a name long associated with Banksy, before legally changing his name several years ago.
A widening conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel has triggered escalating military strikes across the Middle East, disrupted shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz and raised concerns over global energy supplies. This live report tracks the latest developments.
Iran says it is open to talks with countries seeking safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz - disrupted by recent attacks - as Israel continues to launch wide‑scale strikes on Iranian infrastructure in the west. This live report tracks the latest developments.
North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile on Saturday (14 March), Japanese and South Korean officials said. The development comes amid the joint annual U.S.-South Korea "Freedom Shield" military drills and South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok's visit to Washington.
Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery and a key port in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region overnight (13-14 March), local authorities said, causing injuries and damage. In separate action, Russian air attacks on Ukrainian territory killed and wounded civilians near Kyiv, officials reported.
The process of evacuating foreign diplomats and citizens from Iran to Azerbaijan through the Astara state border crossing continues on Sunday (15 March), ensuring smooth and efficient transit for those arriving.
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian father, mother, and two of their children as they drove in the occupied West Bank on Sunday (15 March), Palestinian health authorities said, and the Israeli military said the incident was under review.
Kazakhstan is holding a nationwide referendum on a new draft Constitution on Sunday (15 March) that could significantly reshape the country’s political system. Polling stations have opened across the country, with nearly 12.5 million people eligible to take part.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened further strikes on Iran's Kharg Island oil export hub and urged allies to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran vowed to step up its response and the war showed no sign of ending on Sunday ( 15 March).
Iran says it is open to talks with countries seeking safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz - disrupted by recent attacks - as Israel continues to launch wide‑scale strikes on Iranian infrastructure in the west. This live report tracks the latest developments.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment