Tehran Denies Making Demands That Deviate From 2015 Nuclear Agreement

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian speaks during a joint press conference with Al Thani in Tehran on Wednesday. (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian speaks during a joint press conference with Al Thani in Tehran on Wednesday. (AFP)
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Tehran Denies Making Demands That Deviate From 2015 Nuclear Agreement

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian speaks during a joint press conference with Al Thani in Tehran on Wednesday. (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian speaks during a joint press conference with Al Thani in Tehran on Wednesday. (AFP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Wednesday that Tehran did not raise any demands that go beyond the nuclear agreement in the indirect talks with Washington.

His comments came a week after the failure of the latest round of diplomatic efforts mediated by the European Union in Doha.

In a joint press conference in Tehran with his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Abdollahian said: “We have no requirement which goes beyond the nuclear agreement -- contrary to certain claims by the American party in the media… Our request is part of the 2015 agreement.”

Al Thani, for his part, expressed Qatar’s support for “reaching a fair agreement”, taking into account the concerns of all parties, as reported by Qatar News Agency (QNA).

He added that his visit to Tehran came amid “many regional challenges,” underlining the importance of “constructive efforts by all neighboring countries to make nuclear negotiations and regional dialogue a success.

During his visit to Tehran, Al Thani also met with Ali Shamkhani, Secretary-General of Iran’s National Security Council.

“Iran has entered a new round of negotiations with the aim of reaching a strong, sustainable and reliable agreement,” Shamkhani said, as reported by Nournews, the platform of the National Security Council.

State media in Tehran reported that Al Thani and Shamkhani focused on bilateral and regional issues, the latest political and security developments, and some private matters.

Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington aimed at reviving the nuclear deal ended last week without the hoped-for progress.

Al Thani’s visit came a day after Abdollahian and the European Union’s External Affairs Commissioner, Josep Borrell, held a phone call.

Abdollahian said on Twitter: “The agreement is only possible on the basis of understanding and mutual interests. We remain ready to negotiate a strong and lasting agreement. The United States must decide whether it wants to deal or insists on sticking to its unilateral demands.”



US Envoy Plans to Meet Iran's Foreign Minister on Sunday, US Official Says

This combo shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, pictured in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 and Steve Witkoff, right, White House special envoy, pictured in Washington, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photos Stringer, Mark Schiefelbein)
This combo shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, pictured in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 and Steve Witkoff, right, White House special envoy, pictured in Washington, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photos Stringer, Mark Schiefelbein)
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US Envoy Plans to Meet Iran's Foreign Minister on Sunday, US Official Says

This combo shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, pictured in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 and Steve Witkoff, right, White House special envoy, pictured in Washington, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photos Stringer, Mark Schiefelbein)
This combo shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, pictured in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 and Steve Witkoff, right, White House special envoy, pictured in Washington, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photos Stringer, Mark Schiefelbein)

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff plans to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Oman on Sunday and discuss Iran's response to a recent American proposal for a nuclear deal, a US official said late on Wednesday.

Iran said on Monday it will soon hand a counter-proposal for a nuclear deal to the United States in response to a US offer that Tehran deems "unacceptable," while US President Donald Trump said talks would continue.

Trump told a podcast on Monday he was less confident that Iran will agree to stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington, Reuters said.

Trump has been seeking a new nuclear deal to place limits on Iran's disputed uranium enrichment activities and has threatened it with bombing if no agreement is reached.

Iran has long said it has no plans to develop nuclear weapons and is only interested in atomic power generation and other peaceful projects.

During his first White House term, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed limits on Tehran's uranium enrichment drive in exchange for relief from international sanctions.

Uneasy relations between Iran and the US go back decades. Tehran says Washington has interfered in its affairs, citing events ranging from a 1953 coup against a prime minister to the 2020 killing of its military commander in a US drone strike.

Washington cites Iran's backing of militant groups in the Middle East including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen to say that Iran poses a threat to US ally Israel and Washington's interests in the region.

The militant groups describe themselves as the "Axis of Resistance" to Israeli and US influence in the Middle East.

Trump said on Wednesday US personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because "it could be a dangerous place."

The decision by the US to evacuate some personnel comes at a volatile moment in the region. Trump's efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran appear to be deadlocked and US intelligence indicates that Israel has been making preparations for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.