Iranian media reports say Iran has not yet received a response from the United States regarding indirect negotiations between the two sides.
IRNA reports that speaking at a press conference on April 7, Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said Tehran’s proposal for indirect negotiations with Washington is a “generous” and “wise” offer.
“Iran’s response has been sent to the United States and we are waiting for the U.S. decision on this matter,” he said. “So far, we have not received a response from the U.S. regarding indirect negotiations.”
On March 7, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had sent a letter to Iran calling for nuclear negotiations. Tehran responded to the letter later that month, saying it rejects direct talks with Washington over its contradictory and hostile approach but remains open to indirect negotiations.
Baghaei said if such interaction takes place, Oman would be the intermediary.
The spokesman also dismissed any changes to Iran’s nuclear doctrine, which he laid out as a wholesale rejection of either developing or acquiring nuclear weapons.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi clearly stated that Iran has never sought nuclear weapons, Baghaei said, adding, “This is part of our belief based on the Leader’s fatwa [religious decree], and there is no misgivings about this.”
‘Iran has never joined any coalition against its neighbors’
Responding to a question by IRNA’s correspondent on Trump’s threats to wage war against Iran in case that the Islamic Republic did not reach a new deal over its nuclear program, Baghaei dismissed reports that the Iranian Armed Forces are on high alert over the increasing possibility of war.
He said the Iranian Armed Forces are, naturally, always ready to defend the territorial integrity of the homeland.
Elsewhere in his presser, Baghaei said Iran has never been part of any coalition to attack neighboring countries and has always emphasized and pursued a good neighborliness policy.
“At every opportunity, we inform our neighbors about the consequences of any warmongering by third parties, whether actors outside the region or the Zionist regime,” he said.
The nature of fire, the spokesperson hastened to warn, is that it is contagious, and “we believe that our neighbors are careful not to let divisions destroy their relations with Iran.”
