Iraqchi and Pezeshkian: We Have Not Received a Message from America for Negotiation

Iran's Foreign Minister announced that "no specific message" regarding negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the United States has been sent or received. Abbas Iraqchi, on Wednesday, February 10, in response to reporters' questions at the weekly government meeting, stated that these issues have only been raised in "the media." Mr. Iraqchi further referred to the previous Trump administration's withdrawal from the JCPOA, saying: "Now the basis is distrust." Donald Trump, during his first term, was a critic of the nuclear agreement with six world powers and described it as the "worst" deal in U.S. history. Majid Takht Ravanchi, the political deputy of the Iranian foreign minister, also stated two days prior in an interview with ISNA that currently Trump's policy towards Iran is unclear and patience is required in this regard. Meanwhile, Axios reported on February 5 that Iran had proposed negotiations for a new nuclear agreement to Trump during its diplomats' meetings with European representatives, just before Trump's presidential inauguration. Iran reached the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA in 2015 with Western powers, including the United States, under which Iran limited its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of U.S. and European sanctions. However, in 2018, coinciding with the first term of Trump's presidency, the U.S. withdrew from the JCPOA. In response, Tehran gradually deviated from its JCPOA commitments, including increasing the amount and concentration of uranium enrichment, a matter that ultimately led to the issuance of two critical resolutions by the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors last year.