Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's call for direct talks, describing them as "meaningless" after Trump expressed a preference for face-to-face negotiations with Iran.
Trump had urged Iran last month to negotiate over its nuclear program, while threatening military action if diplomacy failed. On Thursday, he reiterated his desire for "direct talks," claiming they would be faster and more effective than using intermediaries.
However, Araghchi dismissed the proposal, saying, "Direct negotiations would be meaningless with a party that constantly threatens to resort to force in violation of the UN Charter and that expresses contradictory positions from its various officials."
“We remain committed to diplomacy and are ready to try the path of indirect negotiations,” Araghchi added in a statement from Iran’s foreign ministry.
He emphasized Iran’s readiness to defend its sovereignty, stating, "Iran keeps itself prepared for all possible or probable events, and just as it is serious in diplomacy and negotiations, it will also be decisive and serious in defending its national interests and sovereignty."
The debate over talks comes amid rising tensions between the two countries, particularly regarding Iran's nuclear program. Western powers, led by the U.S., have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, a claim Tehran denies, insisting its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes only.
On Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran is open to dialogue with the U.S. "on equal footing," but questioned the sincerity of Washington's calls for negotiations given the accompanying threats.
"We are not worried about war at all. We will not be the initiators of war, but we are ready for any war," said Hossein Salami, head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on Saturday, as tensions with the U.S. continued to mount.
In 2015, Iran reached the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with six world powers, including the U.S., to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, the U.S. withdrew from the agreement in 2018, reimposing sanctions, which led Iran to scale back its commitments under the deal.
Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Monday that while Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons, it could pursue them if attacked.