Iran wants to negotiate with the USA. It is said from Tehran that diplomacy should have the floor again. Concerns about a new war have recently been great.
dpa | According to an Iranian report, government representatives from both countries want to start new negotiations in the conflict between the USA and Iran. A meeting between Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to take place in the coming days, reported the Tasnim news agency, which is close to Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards. The exact place and time of the meeting are therefore not yet known. Confirmation from the USA was initially pending.
Die Worries about a new war had recently grown again. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened the government in Tehran with military strikes, including because of the brutal crackdown by state repressive forces against demonstrators during the recent mass protests. Thousands, if not tens of thousands of people are said to have been killed. The US military has significantly expanded its presence in the region since the beginning of January, for example with the aircraft carrier “USS Abraham Lincoln” and its accompanying ships.
Iranian nuclear program still in focus
Washington and Tehran had already been negotiating Iran’s controversial nuclear program last year, but the talks had stalled on key issues. For example, the USA is demanding that Iran’s leadership completely stop enriching uranium. Tehran is prepared to limit its nuclear program, but sees the maximum demand as a red line.
Just one day before the planned sixth round of negotiations began in June 2025, Israel attacked Iran. The Islamic Republic’s armed forces responded with rocket fire. Less than a week later, the US military joined the war and bombed key nuclear facilities. Trump said at the time that Iran’s nuclear facilities had been completely destroyed.
Other points of contention include Iran’s missile program, support for militant groups in the Middle East and the whereabouts of 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium. Before the talks, Iran’s government had emphasized that it initially only wanted to negotiate about the nuclear program.
Trump between threat and outstretched hand
Iran’s government hopes that negotiations will result in the lifting of harsh international sanctions and economic recovery. The most recent demonstrations at the end of December were triggered by the severe economic crisis, before the protests expanded into a political uprising.
Trump had the demonstrators at the height of the protests pledged his support. In mid-January, the Republican spoke out in favor of a change of power in the Islamic Republic. Many Iranians are critical of the fact that he is now considering a deal with the government.
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