TVI Report
In the backdrop of a renewed U.S.-Israeli threat to its nuclear installations and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s suggestion to Iran, the Iranian leadership has agreed to hold negotiations on its nuclear program to seek revive 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
However, Iranian leadership has made it clear that they would resume talks once sanctions are lifted and pressures on Iran are withdrawn.
There are indications that Russian foreign minister who visited Iran this week tried to mediate between Iran and U.S. and urged Iran to rebuild trust and confidence of international community.
On February 27, 2025 President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will hold negotiations, but will not give in to “bullies”, while reiterating that the Islamic Republic seeks peace and tranquility in the West Asia region.
Russian diplomat discussed a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian Nuclear Program, with both President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi. Russia is a signatory of the 2015 JCPOA deal alongside the U.S., China, France, Britain and Germany.
Iran waiting for right conditions to hold ‘true negotiations’
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in his recent talk, ruled out direct negotiations with the United States over the country’s nuclear program. “Regarding Iran’s nuclear issue, we will move forward and coordinate our positions in cooperation with our friends in Russia and China,” Araghchi said. “Iran’s position in the nuclear talks is completely clear, and we will not negotiate under pressure and sanctions. There is no possibility of direct negotiations between us and the US as long as maximum pressure is being applied in this manner,” he added.
Chief of Iran’s Strategic Council of Foreign Relations, Kamal Kharrazi, said a day earlier on February 26, 2025, that “Islamic Republic is not shying away from ‘true negotiations’ and is waiting for the right conditions to engage in dialogue with the West based on mutual respect and equality.” Kharrazi made the remarks in a brief interview during his visit to the headquarters of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Wednesday.
“It is not consistent with the Iranian and revolutionary spirit to bow down to the excesses and tyranny of others. We will negotiate only if the conditions for real negotiations, i.e., based on the principle of equality and mutual respect, are provided,” he said in response to a question about the possibility of talks with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Currently, there is no choice but the maximum patience. Unless conditions are provided that the other side shows a willingness to negotiate truly and not to show totalitarianism, which is not the case at the moment,” he added. Kharrazi pointed out that “Mr. Trump’s method is totalitarianism and expects others to merely listen to his diktats. We are witnessing this approach even in Europe today, but this is not consistent with the spirit of Iranians and revolutionaries.”
President Pezeshkian also noted that Iran “does not seek quarrels”, but intends to “live in peace and tranquility” alongside other Muslim countries in the region.
On February 25, 2025 Iranian State media published a detailed public letter claiming that Europe and the International Atomic Energy Agency are under pressure from the U.S. to be tougher on Iran.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reportedly confirmed a planned ministers-only discussion on Iran was postponed due to the absence of key foreign ministers.
Iran’s official news agency, IRNA accused Europe and the IAEA of making contradictory statements about Iran’s nuclear program, claiming that Tehran has the right to unlimited uranium enrichment, as international conventions do not prohibit it.
Earlier in February IAEA chief, Rafael Mariano Grossi explained that the UN body was prepared to help Iran prove it did not seek nuclear weapons.
On February 14, 2025 Reuters quoted IAEA Chief as saying “Time is running out to secure an accord to rein in Iran’s nuclear program as Tehran continues to accelerate its enrichment of uranium to near weapons grade”.
U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term abandoned a 2015 agreement reached under predecessor Barack Obama.
There are reports that Russian foreign minister during his current visit to Tehran after US-Russia “understanding” also urged Iran to seek a negotiated deal with the U.S. as soon as possible.