The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on Iran after indirect nuclear talks in Oman ended without a breakthrough on Friday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the negotiations that an agreement on the nuclear programme could be reached only through constructive dialogue without pressure or threats.
He welcomed the resumption of talks with the US after an eight-month gap, describing the Muscat discussions-mediated by Oman’s foreign minister – as “a good start”. Both sides shared a “consensus” on the need to continue negotiations, Tehran’s top diplomat said in a statement.
Hours after the first round concluded, the US State Department announced new sanctions against 15 entities, two individuals and 14 vessels, accusing them of involvement in “the illicit trade in Iranian petroleum, petroleum products, and petrochemical products.”
The move forms part of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure campaign” against Tehran.
Also Read: ‘Leave Iran now’, US warns its citizens
In a post on X, Araghchi said the Iranian delegation “made it clear” that any dialogue must be free of threats or pressure. Iran “enters diplomacy with open eyes and a steady memory of the past year.”
He added that the turbulent events of the past eight months in global politics and the international rules-based order have created an atmosphere of “great distrust” that must be overcome.
Tensions between the two sides have escalated sharply since the US struck Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year, and amid widespread anti-government protests that gripped the Islamic Republic in December and January.
The US has deployed a naval armada led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East, demanding that any potential deal limit uranium enrichment and restrict Tehran’s ballistic missile programme.
Iran has maintained that its nuclear programme is purely peaceful in nature. Washington unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions against Tehran, prompting the Islamic Republic to gradually scale back compliance and enrich uranium to 60 per cent.
Follow us
