Iran has responded to a letter from US president Donald Trump regarding nuclear negotiations, affirming that while direct talks remain off the table, indirect negotiations can continue, Iranian state media reported on Thursday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that Tehran had sent a formal response to Trump’s message through Oman, reiterating the country’s stance of engaging only in indirect discussions under the current geopolitical climate.
“Our policy remains unchanged. We will not enter direct negotiations while facing maximum pressure and military threats. However, as in the past, indirect negotiations can continue,” Araghchi was quoted as saying by Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
The foreign minister added that Iran’s response included a letter detailing its perspective on the ongoing situation and Trump’s proposal.
The development comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, following Trump’s decision during his presidency to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear agreement—officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The deal had placed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, but Washington’s exit in 2018 and the reimposition of sweeping sanctions escalated hostilities.
Since then, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported that Iran has accumulated sufficient fissile material for multiple nuclear weapons, though Tehran maintains its nuclear programme is solely for civilian energy purposes.
The contents of Trump’s letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly delivered by senior Emirati diplomat Anwar Gargash during his visit to Tehran on March 12, remain undisclosed. However, Iranian officials have thus far dismissed Trump’s warnings to strike a new deal or face potential military action.
In a separate statement on Thursday, Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Khamenei, signalled that Iran had not entirely shut the door on diplomacy.
“It is ready for indirect negotiations with the United States in order to evaluate the other party, state its own conditions, and make the appropriate decision,” state media quoted Kharrazi as saying.
While Iran’s official response to Trump’s overture has yet to be fully revealed, the latest developments suggest that Tehran remains cautious in its approach to Washington’s diplomatic overtures, wary of previous breakdowns in negotiations.
