TEHRAN Irans Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to travel to Moscow on Thursday to provide a message from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, to Russias Vladimir Putin.Araghchi will briefly meet his counterpart before being gotten by the president, reports say.The top diplomat will then travel to Italys capital, where he will engage in indirect talks with U.S.
Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff.
The 2 countries held the first round of their indirect settlements in Muscat last week, with Omans foreign minister functioning as go-between.
They talked about Tehrans nuclear program as well as anti-Iran U.S.
sanctions.The first Iran-US encounter ended on a positive note, with both sides explaining the talks as favorable and useful.
However, subsequent remarks by Witkoff, mentioning that Iran should stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment program to reach a deal with Washington, might have moistened potential customers for similar lead to the upcoming round.Speaking to press reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet conference on Wednesday, Araghchi said enrichment of uranium as part of Irans peaceful nuclear program is non-negotiable.
Irans enrichment [program] is a genuine and authentic matter, and we are all set to construct trust concerning potential issues, however the problem of enrichment is non-negotiable, Araghchi told reporters.Pointing to the extension of the so-called U.S.
pressure campaign on Iran throughout the negotiations, the Iranian foreign minister stated, Both our position and our actions are clear.
They will not achieve anything through pressure.
If the settlement is based on an equivalent footing and is performed in a respectful environment, it can advance, however nothing will be achieved through pressure and imposition of their positions, and we have proven this both in our actions and in our positions.
We will participate in the talks with complete calmness and harmony, without being affected by any pressure or current.Araghchi likewise censured the inconsistent and conflicting positions coming out of the Trump administration ahead of Saturdays talks.As I discussed, throughout this time we have heard inconsistent and conflicting positions, and Mr.
Witkoff has actually spoken in a number of ways up until now; the real positions will be clarified at the negotiation table, said the leading Iranian diplomat.However, we require to be cognizant of the authentic opinions of the American side throughout the settlement session.
If they include constructive positions, I am confident that we can start negotiations on the framework of a possible contract.
If not, if the positions stay inconsistent and conflicting, it will be hard.
This post first appeared/also appeared in Tehran Times