Iran has sent a response to a letter from US President Donald Trump that called for nuclear talks and warned of possible military action if it refuses, its foreign minister said Thursday.
“This official response includes a letter in which our position regarding the current situation and Mr Trump’s letter has been fully explained to the other party,” Abbas Araghchi told the official IRNA news agency.
He added that the letter was delivered to Oman, which has served as an intermediary in the past in the absence of U.S.-Iranian diplomatic relations.
He did not disclose the nature of the response or say when it had been sent.
Trump, who in 2018 pulled the United States out of an agreement to relieve sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme, now says he is open to diplomatic talks.
The US president revealed at the start of March that he had sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
At the same time, Trump has pushed ahead with his “maximum pressure” programme of additional sanctions on Tehran and the threat of military action if it refuses to negotiate.
“Our policy remains not to negotiate directly (with Washington) under ‘maximum pressure’ and the threat of military action, but indirect negotiations, such as those that took place in the past, can continue,” Araghchi said.
