(The Epoch Times)—Iran has sent a response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s letter that had urged it to negotiate a new nuclear deal, Iran’s state media has reported.
Abbas Araghchi, the Islamic Republic’s foreign minister, confirmed on March 27 that a response was delivered through Oman.
“The official response comprises a letter wherein our viewpoints regarding the status quo and Mr. Trump’s letter have been fully laid out and relayed to the other side,” Araghchi told state news agency IRNA.
No details have been released about the Iranian response. The Epoch Times contacted the State Department for comment, but did not hear back by press time.
Trump sent a letter earlier this month to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
While the content of the letter has not been made public, Trump has said he proposed direct negotiations between the United States and Iran to peacefully resolve tensions surrounding Tehran’s expanding nuclear program.
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Speaking to reporters at the White House on March 7, the president reiterated that Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons and suggested that an agreement could be reached involving Iranian oil. If not, he warned, military action was on the table.
“Hopefully, we will have a peace deal,” he said. “I’m just saying I’d rather see a peace deal than the other. But the other will solve the problem.”
Trump’s remarks come as the U.S. and Israeli leadership weigh the possibility of military intervention to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. A November 2024 report from the International Atomic Energy Agency indicated that Iran was expanding its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, apparently trying to build leverage before Trump’s return to the White House.
In February, Trump signed a memorandum reinstating the “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. This strategy, first implemented during Trump’s first term, aims to block Iran’s access to nuclear weapons, curtail its ballistic missile program, and stop its support for terrorist groups.
The presidential memo, among other things, orders the Treasury and State departments to “drive Iran’s export of oil to zero, including exports of Iranian crude to the People’s Republic of China.” It also directs the Treasury to prevent Iran from using Iraq’s financial system to evade sanctions and to make sure that Gulf countries do not become transshipment points for Iranian oil.
Meanwhile, Khamenei has dismissed the idea of direct talks with Washington, declaring that Tehran would not negotiate with “bullying governments.”
“Such negotiations aren’t aimed at solving issues. Their aim is to exert their dominance,” Khamenei said during a Ramadan speech on March 8.
Without explicitly naming the United States, he accused “bullying governments” of not only trying to interfere with Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but also undermining its defensive capabilities and international influence.
“Negotiations are a means and way for them to make new demands,” he said. “They’re making new demands that Iran will definitely not fulfill.”
