IRAN CONFIRMS ACTIVE INDIRECT COMMUNICATION CHANNELS WITH US

Thu 14 November 2024:

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said yesterday that indirect communication channels with the United States remain open. His statement comes a week after Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.

On the sidelines of the Iranian government’s weekly meeting, Araghchi remarked: “The channels of communication between us and the Americans are still in place.” His remarks align with recent statements by President Masoud Pezeshkian, signalling a more open approach towards diplomatic relations.

Pezeshkian, who is known for supporting dialogue with Western nations despite existing disputes, said on Tuesday: “Like it or not, the United States is a country we must engage with on both regional and international stages.”

In 2015, Iran reached a deal with major world powers, including the United States, which eased sanctions in exchange for assurances that it would not pursue nuclear weapons. However, once he came to power in the US, Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and reinstated “unprecedented sanctions” on Iran.

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In response, Iran significantly reduced the frequency of inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at its nuclear facilities from 2021 onwards. According to the IAEA, Iran has since enriched uranium to 60 per cent purity, edging closer to the 90 per cent threshold required for nuclear weapon development. The original agreement had limited this percentage to 3.65 per cent.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi arrived in Tehran yesterday for critical discussions on this matter.

Diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran were severed in 1980 following the Islamic Revolution, which ousted the US-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Despite the formal break, communication has continued through intermediaries.

During his first term from 2017 to 2021, Trump pursued a “maximum pressure” policy on Iran, it is not clear what his new term in the White House will mean for Tehran.

-MEMO

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