Araghchi: Iran's preferred form is indirect negotiations

In an interview with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi provided explanations regarding the upcoming indirect negotiations with the US.

He said: The negotiations will be held in Oman on Saturday, as announced and I announced in a tweet; the negotiations will be indirect; we do not accept any other method for negotiations; the form of direct or indirect negotiations is not important; in my opinion, the important issue is whether the negotiations are effective or not, whether the parties are serious or not in the negotiations, and the intentions and will to reach a solution.

Araghchi continued to clarify: These are important issues in the negotiations and are important and the criterion for action in every negotiation; the form of negotiations is subject to various issues.

The Foreign Minister stated that the form we want for the negotiation is indirect, and said: We have already mentioned the reasons for this; negotiations in which they want to impose their will through pressure and threats are not negotiations, but dictation, and we do not believe in this method at all; the indirect negotiation method can better guarantee a real negotiation.

He continued: We are proceeding in this way; indirect negotiation is not a strange matter at all and has happened many times in the history of international relations; there are countries that are not willing to meet each other for historical reasons or hostilities or for other reasons; I can cite many examples in history; right now, the negotiation between Russia and Ukraine is taking place indirectly, by the way, through the United States, and the Americans are the mediators, because the two sides are not willing to meet face to face for reasons they know themselves; the non-face-to-face meeting is carried out through a mediator.

According to Araghchi, in our indirect negotiations, Oman is the mediator; we trust and rely on Oman because of its good history in this regard.

The head of the diplomatic service expressed hope that we will face the serious will of the other side to reach a diplomatic solution, and this is an important issue.

Regarding the possible change in the form of negotiations in the later stages, the Foreign Minister said: We did not make an appointment to start negotiations indirectly and continue them directly if there is goodwill.

In response to the claims of the Zionist authorities about the aforementioned negotiations, Araghchi said: It is natural for everyone to speculate or even have their own wishes about these negotiations; what the Zionist regime and its officials said or are likely to say are their wishes that will never come true.

Emphasizing that we are seeking to secure Iran's interests, he clarified: Our nuclear program is completely peaceful and legitimate; The Security Council Resolution 2231 has already fully endorsed the legitimacy of this program; therefore, there is no doubt about it internationally; we are ready to clarify possible questions and ambiguities, because we are confident that our nuclear program is peaceful; we have no particular problem in conducting further confidence-building, unless it creates a specific limitation for us or is an obstacle to our goals.

Araghchi continued, pointing out that in return for confidence-building, it is natural that the sanctions that were unfairly imposed on Iran’s nuclear program based on the accusations made against it should be lifted, and said: Our main goal in the negotiation is to realize the rights of the Iranian people and lift the sanctions, and if there is real will on the other side, this goal is achievable and has nothing to do with the negotiation method.

The Foreign Minister said: At present, our preference is indirect negotiation and we have no intention of turning it into direct negotiation; because we do not consider direct negotiation to be beneficial for the goals and if the other side has real will, an agreement can be reached; According to this famous phrase, the ball is now in America's court; if the Americans come to Oman with real will, we will definitely reach a conclusion.