Iran has expressed readiness to negotiate with the United States but firmly rejected the “maximum pressure” approach employed by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Saturday, February 8, that negotiations could not occur under such a strategy, describing it as “a form of surrender.”
“The lifting of sanctions requires negotiations, but not within the framework of a ‘maximum pressure’ policy, because it would not be a negotiation but a form of surrender,” Araghchi said in a statement published on Telegram.
This statement follows remarks from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who cautioned the government against engaging in talks with Washington, labelling such negotiations as “reckless.” Khamenei justified his stance by pointing to Iran’s past experiences negotiating with the United States.
In 2015, Iran reached a landmark nuclear agreement with the U.S., France, Germany, Britain, China, and Russia, which eased international sanctions in exchange for regulating its nuclear program. However, in 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the deal and reinstated harsh sanctions on Iran, a move that met with resistance from European allies.
Recently, Trump reiterated his position, calling for a “verified nuclear peace agreement” with Iran while emphasizing that the country “cannot have a nuclear weapon.” Despite these calls, Washington has doubled down on its pressure campaign, with new financial sanctions announced last week against entities and individuals allegedly involved in shipping Iranian crude oil to China.
Araghchi criticized the conflicting messages from the U.S., stating, “Iran does not want to negotiate with a country that is simultaneously imposing new sanctions.” Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful purposes and denies any ambitions to develop nuclear weapons.