Tehran: The Iranian Foreign Minister will go to Russia this week for interviews on the country’s nuclear program, a few days before a new series of indirect negotiations with the United States.
On Saturday, Abbas Araghchi had talks with the American envoy of the Middle East Steve Witkoff in Oman – the highest negotiations since the collapse of the 2015 nuclear agreement.
President Donald Trump, who withdrew from the agreement, brought Iran under the spotlight since his return to the post in January.
In March, he sent a letter to the Iranian supreme chief of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for nuclear talks and warning of a possible military action if Tehran refused.
Western countries, including the United States, has long suspected Iran to pursue nuclear weapons – an allegation that Tehran has always denied, insisting that its program is for peaceful purposes.
Russia, a close ally of Iran and the 2015 Agreement Party, and China have been committed with Tehran in recent weeks during its nuclear program.
“Dr. Araghchi will go to Moscow at the end of the week,” said the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei, adding that the pre-Planified trip would be “the opportunity to discuss the latest developments related to Muscat talks”.
Russian ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Araghchi met her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and other officials.
Iran and the United States both described Saturday discussions as “constructive”.
Moscow welcomed the Iran-US talks when he pressure for a diplomatic solution and warned that the military confrontation would be a “global disaster”.
Another series of talks between Iran and the United States will be held in Oman on Saturday, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the official IRNA news agency. Rome had already been cited as a possible place.
‘Red lines’
Baqaei said that the next series of talks would continue to be indirect with omani mediation, adding that direct talks were “not effective” and “non -useful”. Oman’s Minister of Foreign Affairs commissioned between the two delegations in the last talks.
Baqaei had previously declared that the only objective of the next talks would be “the nuclear problem and the lifting of sanctions”, and that Iran “will have no discussion with the American side on any other question”.
Late Sunday, Irna reported that the regional influence of Tehran and her missile capacities were one of her “red lines” in talks.
Washington restored biting sanctions against Tehran after withdrawing from the 2015 agreement three years later.
Iran continued to join the agreement for a year after Trump’s withdrawal, but then started to retreat its compliance.
Iran has always denied that it was looking for nuclear weapons.
Trump approached journalists on Monday concerning Iran, saying “I will solve this problem” and “it’s almost easy”.
However, it is not clear if his remarks have referred specifically to nuclear negotiations or wider questions involving the Islamic Republic.
Baqaei reiterated that Iran would welcome the United Nations Nations Nuclear Supervisory Chief Grosi in the coming days, but noted that the details of his trip were always “to decide”.
In an article on X, Grossi confirmed that he would go to Tehran “later this week”.
“Continuous engagement and cooperation with the agency are essential at a time when diplomatic solutions are urgently necessary,” he said.
Irna later reported that Grosi would arrive on Wednesday and meet Araghchi and Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Iranian nuclear energy agency.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency visited Iran for the last time in November when he had interviews with senior officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian.
In its latest quarterly report in February, the IAEA said that Iran estimated 274.8 kilograms (605 pounds) enriched with uranium up to 60%, which far exceeds the limit of 3.67% by virtue of the 2015 agreement and is much closer to the 90% threshold required for the grade of arms grade material.
