Trump says he sent a message to the head of Iran urging negotiations, but Tehran says he did not receive a letter.
Iran says he has not yet received a letter from President Donald Trump after the American chief said He had sent One search for discussions with the country’s leadership on its nuclear program.
“We have not received such a letter so far, a spokesman for the Iranian embassy said on Friday.
The comments arise after Trump said that he had sent a letter to the supreme chief of Iran, Ali Khamenei, asking for negotiations on a new agreement with Tehran to restrict his nuclear program in advance.
The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, rejected the prospect of nuclear negotiations with the United States if Tehran remains under strong Washington sanctions.
“We will not enter any direct negotiation with the United States as long as it will pursue its maximum pressure policy and threats,” Araghchi told the AFP news agency.
Since its entry into office in January, Trump’s administration has inflicted sanctions against Iran – including on the country’s oil network – as part of its “maximum pressure” strategy.
The Iranian state media immediately resumed Trump’s comments, given in parts of an interview with Fox Business News broadcast on Friday, although there was no confirmation from the Khamenei office that any letter was received. The interview should be broadcast on Sunday.
It remained clear how the 85 -year -old supreme chief would react, given that former President Barack Obama had kept his letters to Khamenei secret before the start of the negotiations that led to the Tehran agreement in 2015 with the world powers.
Khamenei in a speech last August opened the door to talks with the United States, saying that there is “no harm” to engage with “the enemy”. This came after Iran elected reformist president Masoud Pezeshkian in June, who campaigned on the promises to negotiate a new agreement with the global powers, similar to the 2015 country’s agreement that Trump withdrew in 2018.
Trump’s recognition occurs both because Israel and the United States have warned that it would not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, which has raised fears of military confrontation while Tehran enriches uranium at grade levels close to the weapon – purity only sought by atomic armed nations.
“I wrote a letter saying to them:” I hope you will negotiate because if we have to go militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing, “said Trump. He later added that he had sent the letter “yesterday” to the interview, which was filmed on Thursday.
The White House confirmed Trump’s comments, saying that he had sent a letter to Iranian leaders seeking to negotiate a nuclear agreement.
“I prefer to negotiate an agreement. I’m not sure everyone agrees with me, but we can conclude an agreement that would be just as good as if you have won militarily, “added Trump. “But time is happening now. Time is coming. Something will happen in one way or another.
“I hope you are going to negotiate because it will be much better for Iran and I think they want to get this letter,” said Trump. “The other alternative is that we have to do something because you cannot let them have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump did not offer any details on which, if necessary, was specifically offered to Iran in the letter.
Iran has long maintained that its program has been for peaceful purposes, even if its officials are increasingly threatening to continue the bomb because tensions are high with the United States about its sanctions and with Israel as a trembling ceasefire holds in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The American intelligence agencies assess that Iran has not yet started a program of arms, but “undertook activities which position it better to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses it”.
Since Trump returned to the White House, his administration has always declared that Iran should have been prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons. A report last month, however, by the United Nations nuclear surveillance dog, said that Iran had accelerated its production of almost army uranium.
