Iran ‘Has Yet to Decide’ on Negotiations with the US

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (center), President Masoud Pezeshkian (third from right), Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (second from right), and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei (right) attend a meeting with officials and ambassadors (Iranian Presidency)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (center), President Masoud Pezeshkian (third from right), Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (second from right), and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei (right) attend a meeting with officials and ambassadors (Iranian Presidency)
TT
20

Iran ‘Has Yet to Decide’ on Negotiations with the US

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (center), President Masoud Pezeshkian (third from right), Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (second from right), and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei (right) attend a meeting with officials and ambassadors (Iranian Presidency)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (center), President Masoud Pezeshkian (third from right), Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (second from right), and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei (right) attend a meeting with officials and ambassadors (Iranian Presidency)

Iran has backtracked on its earlier openness to negotiating with the United States, stating that no decision has been made on the matter and denying receiving a message from US President Donald Trump.

“Iran has not yet concluded that negotiations are necessary. If they do take place, they will be conducted on equal terms. However, at this moment, no such conclusion has been reached,” the Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying.

He added: “Iran has not received any message from Trump regarding negotiations, and fundamentally, there is no trust between the two sides.”

Araghchi also noted that talks with European counterparts are ongoing, and Tehran is awaiting further developments.

Regarding potential talks with Washington, the Iranian official said that while an agreement had been reached in the past, “the Americans violated it. Now, the foundation is a lack of trust. Trust cannot be built with words; we need to see real actions on the ground.”

Earlier, Tehran had expressed openness to considering negotiation offers from Trump regarding Iran’s nuclear program while warning that any attack on its nuclear facilities would lead to a “major disaster.”

Tehran has described targeting its nuclear sites as “madness,” warning that such an action would destabilize the region. It has also urged Washington to take further steps to rebuild trust at this stage.

Iran is particularly concerned that Trump’s potential return to office could revive his “maximum pressure” campaign, aimed at forcing Tehran to alter its regional policies—especially as its nuclear program advances toward weapons-grade enrichment levels.

Araghchi’s comments came after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei cautioned Iranian officials to be wary in their dealings with adversaries.

“Behind diplomatic smiles lie hidden and malicious hostilities,” Khamenei warned, according to Tasnim. “We must keep our eyes open and be cautious in our interactions and dialogues with others.”



Putin Thanks Saudi Leadership for Sponsoring ‘Positive’ Riyadh Talks

 A handout photo made available by the Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service shows Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov (2-R) attending a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2-L), US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (3-L) and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff (L), Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Saudi National Security Advisor Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 18 February 2025. (EPA / Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service)
A handout photo made available by the Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service shows Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov (2-R) attending a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2-L), US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (3-L) and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff (L), Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Saudi National Security Advisor Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 18 February 2025. (EPA / Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service)
TT
20

Putin Thanks Saudi Leadership for Sponsoring ‘Positive’ Riyadh Talks

 A handout photo made available by the Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service shows Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov (2-R) attending a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2-L), US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (3-L) and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff (L), Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Saudi National Security Advisor Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 18 February 2025. (EPA / Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service)
A handout photo made available by the Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service shows Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov (2-R) attending a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2-L), US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (3-L) and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff (L), Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Saudi National Security Advisor Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 18 February 2025. (EPA / Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would like to meet with President Donald Trump but the meeting needs to be prepared to make it productive.

"I would like to have a meeting, but it needs to be prepared so that it brings results," Putin said in televised remarks. He added that he would be "pleased" to meet Trump.

Putin hailed the "positive" talks between senior Russian and US officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, noting that the parties agreed to restore the tattered diplomatic relations.

He expressed his gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for holding the talks in Riyadh.

"In my opinion, we have taken a first step to resume work in a variety of areas that are of mutual interest," Putin said. These included issues relating to the Middle East, global energy markets and cooperation in space, he said.

"Without increasing the level of trust between Russia and the United States, it is impossible to resolve many issues, including the Ukrainian crisis."

Ukraine and European governments were not invited to the talks in the Saudi capital, which heightened their concern that Russia and the United States might cut a deal that ignores their vital security interests.

But Putin said Russia had never rejected talks with the Europeans or with Kyiv, and it was they who had refused to talk to Moscow.

'NO ONE IS EXCLUDING UKRAINE,' PUTIN SAYS

"If they want, please, let these negotiations take place. And we will be ready to return to the table for negotiations," he said.

"No one is excluding Ukraine," he added, saying that there was therefore no need for a "hysterical" reaction to the US-Russia talks.

Putin praised the American's "restraint" in the face of what he called "boorish" behavior by US allies.

He said he would be "happy to meet with Donald".

"But we are in such a situation that it is not enough to meet to have tea, coffee, sit and talk about the future. We need to ensure that our teams prepare issues that are extremely important for both the United States and Russia, including - but not only - on the Ukrainian track, in order to reach solutions acceptable to both sides."

Putin said this would be no easy task. He said that Trump himself, who during the US election campaign repeatedly promised to end the Ukraine war in 24 hours, was now talking about a period of six months.

He said this was "natural" because Trump had simply begun to receive fresh information that changed his approach.