Iran has refused direct talks with the United States to rein in its accelerating nuclear program. Today’s decision comes on the heels of a letter from former President Donald Trump to Iran’s supreme leader, threatening them for obtaining nuclear weapons. The Iranian response, communicated back through Oman, keeps the door ajar for further indirect talks with Washington to continue. The White House has so far not responded to our report about this announcement.
President Masoud Pezeshkian cut through the fog, putting it directly. He made clear that Iran is ready to negotiate, but past violations of commitments have left serious hurdles.
“We don’t avoid talks; it’s the breach of promises that has caused issues for us so far,” – President Masoud Pezeshkian
Understandably, tensions are high in this toxic time. This would be similar to the 2020 Baghdad drone strike that killed Iran’s second most powerful leader, ordered by Trump. This specific incident has led to a wave of regional turmoil. Following the spread of the initial Israel-Hamas conflict to the Gaza Strip, Israel’s campaign to strike leaders of militant groups inside Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” has expanded.
The US is strongly committed to ensuring that Iran never develops nuclear weapons capacity. To further back up this claim, it has conducted airstrikes against Iranian backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. In tandem, Tehran is still expanding its enrichment of uranium to nearly weapon-grade levels, something only done by countries with atomic arsenals. Concerns are growing that a new dangerous military confrontation may be on the horizon. The danger of military action aimed at Iran’s nuclear program still hangs heavily in the air.
Regional tensions have also spilled over into attacks both at sea and on land, raising concerns that hostilities could widen into a regional conflict. In February, an interim report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog gave confirmation of our worst fears. At the same time, Iran has increased its production of near-weapons-grade uranium. Iranian officials insist that their nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Yet, our threats to go full nuclear are only increasing.
