5 months ago
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's president said Sunday that the Islamic Republic rejected nonstop negotiations with the United States implicit its rapidly advancing atomic program, offering Tehran's archetypal effect to a missive President Donald Trump sent to the country's ultimate leader.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran's response, delivered via the sultanate of Oman, near unfastened the anticipation of indirect negotiations with Washington. However, specified talks person made nary advancement since Trump successful his archetypal word unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran's atomic woody with satellite powers successful 2018.
In the years since, determination tensions person boiled implicit into attacks astatine oversea and connected land. Then came the Israel-Hamas warfare successful the Gaza Strip, which saw Israel people militant radical leaders crossed Iran's self-described "Axis of Resistance." Now, arsenic the U.S. conducts aggravated airstrikes targeting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen, the hazard of subject enactment targeting Iran's atomic programme remains connected the table.
“We don’t debar talks; it’s the breach of promises that has caused issues for america truthful far,” Pezeshkian said successful televised remarks during a Cabinet meeting. “They indispensable beryllium that they tin physique trust.”
The White House offered nary contiguous absorption to the announcement.
Iran's presumption hardens aft Trump's letter
Having Pezeshkian announced the determination shows conscionable however overmuch has changed successful Iran since his predetermination fractional a twelvemonth agone aft helium campaigned connected a committedness to re-engage with the West.
Since Trump's predetermination and the resumption of his “maximum pressure” run connected Tehran, Iran's rial currency has gone into a freefall. Pezeshkian had near unfastened talks up until Iran's 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei came down hard connected Trump successful February and warned talks “are not intelligent, omniscient oregon honorable" with his administration. The Iranian president past instantly toughened his ain remarks connected the U.S.
Meanwhile, determination person been mixed messages coming from Iran for weeks. Videos from Quds, oregon Jerusalem, Day demonstrations connected Friday had radical successful the crowds instructing participants to lone shout: “Death to Israel!” Typically, “Death to America” was besides heard.
A video of an underground rocket basal unveiled by Iran's hard-line paramilitary Revolutionary Guard besides showed its troops stepping connected an Israeli emblem painted connected the crushed — though determination was nary American emblem arsenic often seen successful specified propaganda videos.
But Press TV, the English-language limb of Iranian authorities television, published an nonfiction past week that included listing U.S. bases successful the Middle East arsenic imaginable targets of attack. The database included Camp Thunder Cove connected Diego Garcia successful the Indian Ocean, wherever the U.S. is basing stealth B-2 bombers apt being utilized successful Yemen.
“The Americans themselves cognize however susceptible they are,” warned Iranian parliament talker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf connected Friday. "If they interruption Iran’s sovereignty, it volition beryllium similar a spark successful a gunpowder depot, mounting the full portion ablaze. In specified a scenario, their bases and their allies volition not beryllium safe.”
However, Tehran's 2 caller nonstop attacks connected Israel with ballistic missiles and drones caused negligible damage, portion Israel responded by destroying Iranian aerial defence systems.
Iran's rejection is the latest successful tensions implicit atomic program
Trump's missive arrived successful Tehran connected March 12. Though announcing helium wrote it successful a tv interview, Trump offered small item connected what helium precisely told the ultimate leader.
“I’ve written them a missive saying, ‘I anticipation you’re going to negociate due to the fact that if we person to spell successful militarily, it’s going to beryllium a unspeakable thing,’” Trump said successful the interview.
The determination recalled Trump’s letter-writing to North Korean person Kim Jong Un successful his archetypal term, which led to face-to-face meetings but nary deals to bounds Pyongyang’s atomic bombs and a rocket programme susceptible of reaching the continental U.S.
The past clip Trump tried to nonstop a missive to Khamenei, done the precocious Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe successful 2019, the ultimate person mocked the effort.
Trump’s missive came arsenic some Israel and the United States person warned they volition ne'er fto Iran get a atomic weapon, starring to fears of a subject confrontation arsenic Tehran enriches uranium astatine adjacent weapons-grade levels of 60% purity — thing lone done by atomic-armed nations.
Iran has agelong maintained its programme is for peaceful purposes, adjacent arsenic its officials progressively endanger to prosecute the bomb. A study successful February, however, by the U.N.’s atomic watchdog said Iran has accelerated its accumulation of adjacent weapons-grade uranium.
Iran's reluctance to woody with Trump apt besides takes basal successful his ordering the onslaught that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani successful a Baghdad drone onslaught successful January 2020. The U.S. has said Iran plotted to assassinate Trump implicit that anterior to his predetermination this November, thing Tehran denied though officials person threatened him.
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Vahdat reported from Tehran, Iran.
