Washington, Feb 7 (.) US President Donald Trump on Saturday renewed pressure on Iran to strike a nuclear deal with Washington, warning that Tehran “knows the consequences” if it fails to reach an agreement – in an apparent reference to possible military action. His remarks came shortly after the two sides held discussions in Muscat, mediated by Oman, geared towards reviving negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump reiterated that a “big fleet” was heading toward Iran and claimed Tehran was eager to make a deal but “has to get in position.” Hailing the talks as constructive, Trump described the Muscat talks as “very good” and suggested that the two sides may yet be able to reach an agreement, which would be “different from last time.”
At the same time, Trump stressed that Washington was in “no rush”, and said that the US had “plenty of time,” while warning that the consequences for Iran would be “very steep” if the talks failed – in another possible reference to military strikes, or economic measures.
Trump added that Iran was prepared to make far greater concessions now than it was a year ago. “If they would have offered this deal originally, it would have been accepted immediately. We’ll see what happens,” he said, reiterating that the central US demand remains preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Pointing towards parallel diplomacy with Russia and Ukraine, he said, “Iran wants to make a deal, and they should make a deal. They know the consequences if they don’t.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the Oman-mediated talks marked a “good start” and would continue, adding that Iran’s nuclear file could only be resolved through negotiations, with only a fair, win-win outcome resolving all differences, which he noted, would require realistic discussions and long-standing confidence-building measures.
However, Araghchi underscored that “any dialogue requires refraining from threats and pressure,” referencing the massive US naval buildup in the region.
Stressing that Tehran would discuss only its nuclear programme with Washington, he ruled out holding any talks on the Iranian missile programme or any of the ongoing regional activities, noting “Negotiations on missiles are not possible, neither now nor in the future.”
Iran, Araghchi said, was ready to reach a “reassuring” agreement on uranium enrichment, though he insisted that enrichment was the Islamic Republic’s right and must continue.
Adding that zero enrichment was outside the scope of negotiations, he noted that even the massive US-Israeli bombings of Iranian facilities back in June last year had failed to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Notably, Iran has managed to retain almost all its deposits of enriched uranium which are noted to be at 60% enrichment, as all its deposits were located deep underground surpassing the reach of US’ bunker buster bombs, and were thus safe from any of the damage dealt to the nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Addressing regional tensions, Araghchi said developments in West Asia were aimed at enabling Israeli dominance rather than establishing defence. He further warned that if the US attacked Iran, Tehran would retaliate by striking US bases in the region, even if it could not target American soil.
Regarding the next round of talks, the Iranian diplomat remarked that while no date had been selected as of yet, both sides have pledged to resume talks soon.
“There is an understanding on continuing the talks,” Araghchi said, adding that coordination on next steps would be decided in the respective capitals. “If this process continues, I think we will reach a good framework for an understanding.”
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