Iran is open to negotiations with the United States but will not engage under the “maximum pressure” strategy of former US President Donald Trump, Tehran’s foreign minister stated on Saturday.
“The lifting of sanctions requires negotiations, but not within the framework of ‘maximum pressure’, as that would not be a negotiation but a form of surrender,” said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a statement on Telegram.
His remarks followed a warning from Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who urged against negotiations with Washington, calling such an approach “reckless.”
Khamenei cited past dealings with the US, referencing the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, which Trump unilaterally abandoned in 2018, reinstating harsh sanctions.
Trump recently called for a “verified nuclear peace agreement” with Iran, reiterating that the country “cannot have a nuclear weapon.” Tehran, however, insists its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.
Washington has maintained its pressure, imposing fresh sanctions on individuals and entities accused of shipping Iranian oil to China.
Araghchi reaffirmed that “Iran does not want to negotiate with a country that is simultaneously imposing new sanctions.”