Bahrām Qasemi Denies Reports of Omani Mediation Between Iran and the U.S.

The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry rejected reports that the recent visit of the Omani Foreign Minister to Washington was aimed at mediating between Iran and the U.S., stating: "With this America and the policies it has adopted, there will certainly be no possibility for interaction and dialogue." Several media outlets had suggested that the 'unexpected' visit of the Iranian Foreign Minister to Oman last month and the current visit of the Omani Foreign Minister to the U.S. indicated that the United States and the Islamic Republic had begun indirect negotiations mediated by Oman. Bahrām Qasemi emphasized that he has no information about the goals of Yusuf bin Alawi's visit to the U.S. or the content of his discussions and sees no connection between the recent trips, stating: "America shows every day that it is unreliable," and given the "hostile policies of America against Iran and its withdrawal from the JCPOA... there will certainly be no possibility for interaction and dialogue." Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Hassan Rouhani via Twitter, stating: "Never threaten the U.S." However, two days later, he said in a speech: "We will see what happens regarding Iran; but we are ready to reach a real agreement. Of course, not like what was formed in the previous administration, which was a disaster." In recent years, Oman has mediated between Iran and the U.S. for prisoner exchanges and has hosted secret talks between officials from both countries. Qasemi also claimed that America's policies and behavior towards the Islamic Republic have led to a change in the behavior of some "opposition figures abroad." He emphasized that "U.S. threats against Iran" have led to closer ties among political factions within the country, stating: "We even see that some figures who were present abroad as opposition are now... trying to preserve Iran." The spokesperson did not mention the names or political identities of these individuals. About a week ago, some Iranian political and academic activists published a note in the Los Angeles Times expressing opposition to "foreign intervention in Iran." This note, signed by Mohsen Kadivar, Farrokh Negahdar, Touraj Daryaei, Ervand Abrahamian, and Trita Parsi, was published simultaneously with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's meeting with several Iranian-Americans at the Reagan Library in California. It is unclear who the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson refers to as "opposition figures abroad" who have changed their views, but the signatories of this letter have largely reflected this perspective in recent years. The verbal war between officials of the Islamic Republic and the U.S., which began with Hassan Rouhani's remarks describing war and peace with Iran as the "mother of wars and the mother of peace," continued with a strong response from Donald Trump and led to comments from several officials on both sides.