TEHRAN: Iran on Friday said it was giving diplomacy a true chance in nuclear talks with the United States despite increasing pressure from Washington, setting the stage for a showdown in Oman this weekend.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei stated that Iran aims to assess the “intent and resolve” of the United States during the upcoming indirect talks and will respond based on that evaluation.
“In earnest and with candid vigilance, we are giving diplomacy a genuine chance. US should value this decision formed despite their prevailing confrontational hoopla,” Baqaei said in his post on X.
“We do not prejudge… We do not predict… We intend to assess the other side’s intent and resolve this Saturday. We shall reflect and respond accordingly,” the spokesperson further said.
In earnest & with candid vigilance we are giving diplomacy a genuine chance.
U.S. should value this decision formed despite their prevailing confrontational hoopla.We do not prejudge…
We do not predict…We intend to assess the other side’s intent & resolve this Saturday.…
— Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) April 11, 2025
Iran and the United States are scheduled to hold talks this Saturday in Muscat, with the goal of reaching a potential nuclear agreement. In a surprising move on Monday, President Donald Trump announced that his administration would initiate negotiations with Iran.
The talks come after US President Donald Trump sent a letter last month to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging negotiations and warning of possible military action if Tehran refuses.
Weeks later, Tehran responded by expressing openness to indirect negotiations, while firmly rejecting the possibility of direct talks as long as the United States continues its “maximum pressure” policy. Although President Trump stated that the talks would be “direct,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi maintained that they would remain “indirect.”
Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff will lead the talks. Ahead of the planned meeting.
During his first 2017-2021 term, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. Trump also reimposed sweeping US sanctions on Iran.
Meanwhile, Ali Shamkhani, Adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said Iran may suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog if external threats continue.
“Continued external threats and putting Iran under the conditions of a military attack could lead to deterrent measures like the expulsion of IAEA inspectors and ceasing cooperation with it,” Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, published on X, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
