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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that the removal of US sanctions could serve as a confidence-building measure to pave the way for negotiations with Washington.
Speaking to foreign diplomats in Tehran, Araghchi’s remarks marked a re-emphasis on a position Iranian officials have frequently taken since the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) in 2018. It is unclear whether his comments signaled a policy shift or were intended to test the international response ahead of any potential talks.
Following the US exit from the JCPOA under President Donald Trump, senior Iranian officials, including then-Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, maintained that Tehran would not enter into new negotiations unless sanctions were lifted or the US returned to the deal. That stance remained largely consistent throughout the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign.
Now, with Trump back in office and reportedly considering a tougher approach—including military threats—Iran’s renewed insistence on lifting sanctions before any negotiations may be seen either as a negotiating tactic or as a reaffirmation of a long-standing position.
It is not yet known whether this demand was included in the official letter Tehran sent to President Trump recently. Public discourse has increasingly focused on the format of possible talks, with Iranian officials emphasizing their preference for indirect negotiations over face-to-face meetings. Analysts suggest this preference could be driven by both domestic political considerations—such as preserving the government's image after years of hostile rhetoric toward Trump—and strategic calculations, including buying time in the hope that future developments may shift the diplomatic landscape.
Insisting on sanctions relief as a precondition could also function as a means of slowing down the diplomatic process, allowing Tehran to manage expectations and retain leverage. While such a stance could be seen as obstructive, it may also be calculated to prompt a measured response from Washington. Notably, the Biden administration, which preceded Trump’s return, took a more restrained approach to sanctions enforcement even before formal nuclear talks resumed in April 2021.
Iranian oil exports to China began to rise prior to the 2020 US election and have remained high into 2024. This trend may factor into Tehran’s thinking, with the possibility that pressing the issue of sanctions could influence US decision-making or encourage a pause in new restrictions as a way to facilitate dialogue.
A new US THAAD aerial defense battery has been supplied to Israel amid President Donald Trump's threats of military action against Iran unless it agrees to a nuclear deal.
An extremely heavy American military cargo plane, a C-5M Super Galaxy, landed at Israel's Nevatim airbase in the south of the country on Saturday.
Flight trackers such as MenchOsint reported that the plane, which is capable of carrying the THAAD air defense systems, stayed at Nevatim for around eight hours.
An Israeli intelligence source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Iran International that the THAAD system had indeed arrived this weekend.
Iran’s ultra-hardline Kayhan newspaper, managed by a representative of the Supreme Leader, has repeated weekend calls to assassinate US President Donald Trump to avenge the 2020 killing of IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani.
On Sunday, the daily expressed support for what it described as revenge for the drone strike in Iraq, ordered by Trump during his first time in office, just one day after a piece had warned "a few bullets are going to be fired into that empty skull of his".
"The shot hasn’t even been fired yet, and already a bunch of local lackeys and US bootlickers are totally freaking out,... since their skulls are as empty as Trump’s, they’ve gotten scared," the outlet wrote on Sunday.
Since the assassination, Trump and several of his aides were put on a hit list but the issue of Soleimani's killing had been somewhat dulled down in recent months amid Trump's renewed campaign of 'maximum pressure' and calls to make a fresh nuclear deal.
The column, presented as a fictional conversation, called advocates of nuclear talks with the US “America’s bootlickers”. Iran's Supreme Leader continues to refuse to engage in direct talks, but has warmed to the idea of using mediation in the wake of Trump's warning that if a new nuclear deal is not reached within two months, the US will bomb Iran.
The former head of the Parliament's National Security Committee reacted to the newspaper's piece on Saturday, criticizing it as inflammatory while the situation remains so volatile.
Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh wrote on X, “Iranians hate those who promote war and terrorism. If you had the courage for war, you would’ve gone to Lebanon. If you have an assassination plan, don’t attribute your recklessness to Iran.
“The nation pays the price for the extremists’ warmongering and terroristic bluffs. The government must disavow this destructive movement.”
Tabnak website also criticized the article, warning of its costs to a nation already suffering a social and economic crisis.
"A newspaper, which happens to be state-affiliated, is publicly promoting a slogan whose cost will ultimately be paid by the people. It seems that if these ultra-revolutionary individuals truly have the motivation to sacrifice for the country, there are plenty of real opportunities to demonstrate that sacrifice," it wrote.
The paper said assassinating Trump would be “a good thing and would bring joy to Palestinians” and armed groups.
The US continues to confront Iran's Houthi militia in Yemen in the Red Sea region amid the group's maritime blockade on commercial shipping.
Ordered by the Supreme Leader in 2023 as a means to target Israeli shipping in order to force a ceasefire in Gaza, the blockade has since affected global shipping, with Trump vowing to tackle the group head on.
A new US THAAD aerial defense battery has been supplied to Israel amid President Donald Trump's threats of military action against Iran unless it agrees to a nuclear deal.
An extremely heavy American military cargo plane, a C-5M Super Galaxy, landed at Israel's Nevatim airbase in the south of the country on Saturday.
Flight trackers such as MenchOsint reported that the plane, which is capable of carrying the THAAD air defense systems, stayed at Nevatim for around eight hours.
The first THAAD system was given to Israel in October, in the wake of two attacks from Iran as the once long-time shadow war came to the fore.
The existing THAAD system has been used by Israel in recent weeks to defend against ballistic missiles fired at the Jewish state by Iran's Houthis in Yemen.
An Israeli intelligence source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Iran International that the THAAD system had indeed arrived this weekend.
The delivery was first reported in the Saudi Arabian Al-Hadath channel and then across Israeli media, though it has not been publicly confirmed by either the US or Israel. Iran International has approached Israel's military for comment.
Last month, Trump told Iran it must reach a nuclear deal or risk being bombed. While the president said he prefers diplomatic means, he said a military solution will be used if Tehran does not cooperate within two months.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei continues to refuse direct negotiations but he and the president, Masoud Pezeshkian, have said the country is open to mediation.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that Tehran is prepared to pursue indirect US negotiations regarding its nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions, based on a logic of building trust in exchange for sanctions relief.
"As a matter of principle, direct negotiations with a party that constantly threatens the use of force – contrary to the UN Charter – and whose officials express contradictory views would be pointless. However, we remain committed to diplomacy and are willing to explore indirect talks."
Araghchi also commented on Tehran's response to a letter from Trump, saying that the Islamic Republic had replied in a manner proportionate to the letter's content and tone, while also preserving the opportunity for diplomacy.
Araghchi made the remarks as he hosted numerous ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in Tehran, along with their spouses.
