FM: Iran awaits Trump’s letter to Supreme Leader on nuclear programme

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said that Iran did not receive a letter from US President Donald Trump to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, regarding Iran's nuclear programme.

"The letter has been written, but it has not reached us yet. There is an agreement that it will be delivered to Tehran in the near future by a representative from one of the Arab countries," Araqchi said during a briefing, which was broadcast by Iran's state television and radio, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

"Iran has always shown readiness to negotiate on the basis of equality and mutual respect. We previously negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA], from which the US withdrew. Currently, we are in talks with the European trio (the United Kingdom, Germany, and France), with the fourth round held two weeks ago. Another round is scheduled soon, and at the same time, our negotiations with China and Russia are continuing," he noted.

The diplomat noted that Iran remains a member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and its nuclear programme operates within the treaty. However, Tehran does not impose any restrictions beyond the scope of the treaty. 

Araqchi also confirmed a meeting of representatives from China, Russia, and Iran regarding Iran's nuclear issue, which will take place in Beijing on March 14, as previously announced by China's Foreign Ministry. On March 7, Trump announced that he had sent a message to Khamenei offering negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme. In response, the Iranian leader stated that the Islamic Republic would not engage in talks with the US, as Washington is solely concerned with its own interests. 

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed in 2015 by the permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, along with Iran, to resolve the crisis surrounding Iran's nuclear activities. In 2018, during his first term, President Trump withdrew the US from the agreement and reinstated all anti-Iran sanctions that had been lifted under the nuclear deal. In response, the Iranian parliament passed the "Strategic Action Plan to Lift Sanctions and Protect Iranian Nation’s Interest" in 2020. This law led to a reduction in Iran’s commitments under the nuclear deal, including halting inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that went beyond the framework of the safeguards agreement between the IAEA and the Islamic Republic, and imposing a ban on strict monitoring measures.

By Naila Huseynova