Tehran (TDI): Iran said Friday it was giving diplomacy a “genuine chance”, in surprise nuclear negotiations with the United States in Oman, despite mounting pressure from Washington.
Longtime adversaries Iran and the US are set to hold talks on Saturday in Muscat, aimed at reaching a potential nuclear agreement.
President Donald Trump made a shock announcement on Monday that the US would open talks with Iran.
“We are giving diplomacy a genuine chance in good faith and full vigilance. Washington should appreciate this decision, which was made despite their hostile rhetoric,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will lead the talks.
Trump said the negotiations would be “direct” but Araghchi has insisted they would be “indirect”.
Washington continued its “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions on Tehran before the planned meeting, most recently targeting its oil network and nuclear program.
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On Wednesday, Trump said military action against Iran was “absolutely” possible if negotiations failed to produce an agreement.
On Thursday, Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, cautioned that such threats could prompt actions including the expulsion of UN nuclear watchdog inspectors from Iran.
The US responded by saying such a measure would be an escalation and a miscalculation on Tehran’s part.
Saturday’s negotiations come after US President Donald Trump sent a letter to Khamenei in March, urging talks and warning of possible military action if Iran refuses.
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Tehran responded weeks later, saying it was ready indirect talks and dismissed the possibility of direct negotiations as long as the US maintains its “maximum pressure” policy.
Baqaei said Tehran will “neither prejudge nor predict” ahead of the negotiations.
“We intend to assess the intentions and seriousness of the US on Saturday and adjust our next moves accordingly,” said Baqaei.
