Commitment to Diplomacy: The missing link in America’s approach to indirect negotiations with Iran

The fourth round of indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States, mediated by Oman, which was scheduled for Saturday, May 13, 2025, in Rome, the capital of Italy, has been postponed.

The announcement of the postponement of this round of negotiations on Thursday, May 1, came at a time when the complexities of this process had intensified following the contradictory actions and positions of the United States, including the imposition of sanctions.

The complexity of the negotiation process

As the indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States moved beyond the framework and generalities in the second round and entered into details in the third round, the complexities of the negotiations process became apparent.

Now, achieving the agreement, as Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said, requires decisive political will and a fair approach.

Stating that Iran, along with the Omani and American sides, decided to postpone the fourth round of talks for logistical and technical reasons, he clarified: “On the Iranian side, there has been no change in our determination to reach a negotiated solution; we are more determined than ever to reach a fair and balanced agreement: an agreement that guarantees the end of sanctions and builds confidence that Iran’s nuclear program will remain peaceful forever, while ensuring that Iran’s rights will be fully respected.”

Washington, which, amid indirect talks with Iran, imposed new rounds of sanctions against Iran and used contradictory rhetoric and positions, claimed in a projective justification after the postponement of the fourth round of talks that the time and place of the fourth round had not been determined in principle.

At the same time, the three European countries, which previously showed their passivity in advancing the JCPOA as an international document following the US withdrawal from the agreement, have repeated claims of using the trigger mechanism in recent months.

These claims, the latest example of which was the statement of the French Foreign Ministry, received a suitable response from Iran.

In response to France’s claim about using the trigger mechanism in the event of a failure of the negotiations, Esmail Baghaei, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, warned that Tehran considers any attempt to activate the trigger mechanism as its red line and has proportionate countermeasures on the agenda.

Following the postponement of the fourth round of indirect talks between Iran and the US, speculations were raised about the issues of disagreement between Iran and the US that had escalated after the negotiations entered the detailed stage.

Mohammad Hossein Ranjbaran, Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, published a message on Page X, while referring to the trend of Western media in publishing fake news, and stated: The news that the Reuters news agency has published during the past two days, citing an informed source or a senior Iranian official in the nuclear field, and making strange claims about nuclear issues, is pure lies and misleading.

Apart from all these speculations and contradictory information about the issues of dispute between Iran and the United States in the Western media, Iran has always emphasized that any agreement will only be possible if the country's sovereign right to peacefully utilize nuclear technology is respected.

Iran's commitment to diplomacy

Amid the negotiations, and specifically over the past week, Washington imposed two new rounds of sanctions against Iran; an action that was strongly condemned by Iran.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement, noting that Iran, following Donald Trump’s letter to the Supreme Leader and his declaration of readiness to choose the path of diplomacy to resolve the unnecessary and artificial crisis created over Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, entered into indirect dialogue with the United States with an approach based on goodwill and backed by national authority and trust. It also explained Iran’s framework for participating in these negotiations.

The statement, emphasizing Iran’s commitment to the path of diplomacy and its declaration of readiness to continue negotiations, stated: “Iran will not tolerate approaches based on threats and pressure, all of which are contrary to the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law and are designed to harm Iran’s national interests and violate the human rights of Iranian compatriots.”

The Foreign Ministry statement, emphasizing that the aforementioned illegal behaviors will not change Iran’s logical, legitimate, and international law-based positions, stated: “Without a doubt, retrying unsuccessful methods and tactics will only result in repeating the same costly failures.”

Iran’s commitment to diplomacy beyond official stances was evident in the Foreign Minister’s various consultations with regional and international officials.

In a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Araghchi reported on the negotiations process and Oman’s preparations for holding the next round, and pointed to Iran’s responsible approach in choosing a diplomatic path to resolve the artificially created issue of its peaceful nuclear program.

Stating that advancing the aforementioned path requires serious will and realism on the part of the other side, he emphasized: "The contradictory behaviors and statements of US officials, along with the continued sanctions and threats against the Iranian nation, have intensified distrust and suspicion of America's seriousness in advancing the path of diplomacy."

Araghchi also pointed out that several rounds of talks had been held with the three European countries of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom over the past year, emphasizing our country's readiness to continue interacting with the European parties and expressing hope that these three countries would adopt a constructive approach to peacefully resolving existing disputes.

Iran's announcement of readiness to negotiate and consult with the European Troika, which was postponed due to the postponement of the fourth round of talks, is another emphasis on Iran's commitment to diplomacy to resolve problems.

Washington: Wandering between the options of diplomacy and applying pressure

The US government's use of the pressure model during indirect talks is more indicative of internal disagreements and confusion about choosing the right path than of a conscious approach in Washington.

The dismissal of Michael Waltz, the US National Security Advisor, almost simultaneously with the announcement of the postponement of the fourth round of indirect talks, is part of the situation in which Washington is caught.

A fundamental, unchangeable reality

The Foreign Minister recently posted a message on the X social network, emphasizing: Repeating lies does not change fundamental realities; Iran, as one of the founding signatories of the NPT, has every right to have a complete nuclear fuel cycle.

Emphasizing that maximalist stances and provocative rhetoric will only destroy the chances of success, Araghchi stated: A credible and sustainable agreement is within reach; all that is needed is a firm political will and a fair attitude.

While Washington is witnessing rising internal disagreements about indirect negotiations with Iran domestically and is, therefore, seasoning the negotiations with sanctions and threats, Iran and its negotiating team have remained committed to diplomacy and a professional approach.

It should be noted that Iran’s commitment to diplomacy is conditional on a firm political will and a fair attitude to achieve a fair, balanced, and sustainable agreement—an agreement based on international law and Iran's commitments within the framework of the NPT, and that leads to the actual lifting of sanctions.