Iran says it will have 'indirect' talks with the US on Saturday

Berlin [Germany], April 9: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will represent Tehran in "indirect" nuclear negotiations with the United States this Saturday in Oman, Iran's Foreign Ministry said, confirming a report by state news agency Tasnim."Iran and the United States will meet in Oman on Saturday for indirect high-level talks. It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America's court," Araghchi himself posted on X early Tuesday.US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will lead the US delegation, Iranian state media said.US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the discussions would take place. While Trump described the negotiations as "direct," Tehran said they would not be face-to-face. Iran says messages are to be relayed through mediators, consistent with Iran's long-standing position on talks with the US.In 2018, during his first term in office, Trump abandoned the nuclear deal the United States struck with Iran under president Barack Obama. The pact limited Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.In response, Iran gradually stopped adhering to the deal's terms.Israel, meanwhile, citing concerns over a potential Iranian nuclear weapons programme, has repeatedly threatened military action against Iranian nuclear facilities.In a letter delivered to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in March, Trump said Tehran must either negotiate a new nuclear deal or face military action.The talks come as Iran grapples with a severe economic crisis. Crippling international sanctions have devastated Iran's economy, hollowing out the middle class and sending the national currency, the rial, into free fall.Source: Qatar Tribune