Iran’s supreme chief, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated Tuesday he was content material with ongoing talks with the United States however cautioned that the negotiations won’t yield any outcomes.
Tehran and Washington are on account of meet once more in Muscat on Saturday, per week after high officers held the highest-level talks for the reason that landmark 2015 nuclear accord collapsed.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who pulled out of the deal throughout his first time period, revived his “maximum pressure” sanctions marketing campaign after returning to workplace in January.
In March, he despatched a letter to Khamenei urging talks and warning of attainable army motion if Iran refused.
Saturday’s talks had been “well carried out in the first steps,” Khamenei stated, quoted by state tv. “Of course, we are very pessimistic about the other side, but we are optimistic about our own capabilities.”
But he added that “the negotiations may or may not yield results.”
Despite having no diplomatic ties since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, either side described the talks as “constructive.”
Iran insists discussions stay “indirect” and mediated by Oman.
On Monday, Trump once more threatened to strike Iran’s nuclear amenities if no deal was reached, calling Iranian authorities “radicals” who shouldn’t possess nuclear weapons.
Tehran denies searching for an atomic bomb, saying its nuclear programme is for peaceable functions, particularly power manufacturing.
‘Red strains’
Khamenei stated Iran’s “red lines are clear,” with out elaborating.
Earlier Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated the nation’s army capabilities had been off limits within the discussions.
“National security and defence and military power are among the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which cannot be discussed or negotiated under any circumstances,” Guards spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini stated, quoted by state broadcaster IRIB.
Late Sunday, Iran’s official IRNA news company stated the nation’s regional affect and its missile capabilities – lengthy criticized by Western governments – had been amongst its “red lines” within the talks.
Tehran helps the “axis of resistance” – a community of armed teams against Israel, together with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the Hezbollah armed group in Lebanon, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas within the Gaza Strip and Shiite militia teams in Iraq.
Iran has lengthy been cautious of talks with the United States, citing previous distrust.
The 2015 accord – identified formally because the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA – supplied Iran aid from worldwide sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
Iran complied with the settlement for a yr after Trump’s withdrawal earlier than scaling again its compliance.
In his speech, Khamenei stated Iran shouldn’t pin its hopes on progress within the negotiations.
“At the time (of the JCPOA), we made everything conditional on the progress of the negotiations,” he stated.
“This mistake … should not be repeated here.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com