Iran’s Nuclear Program: Tehran Awaits Trump’s Message via an “Arab Country”

13th March 2025

3 minutes read

Iran's Nuclear Program: Tehran Awaits Trump's Message via an "Arab Country"

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtchi revealed that a message from U.S. President Donald Trump to Iran “will soon be delivered to Tehran through an Arab country,” without specifying which one.

Last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that “Tehran will not be forced into negotiations” after Trump mentioned sending a letter urging Iran to engage in talks for a new nuclear agreement.

In 2018, Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major world powers, reimposing sanctions on Tehran, which responded by gradually abandoning its nuclear commitments the following year.

Commenting on the United Nations Security Council’s closed-door meeting on Iran’s nuclear program this Wednesday, Abbas Araghtchi described it as a “new and strange process that casts doubt on the good faith of the countries that requested it.”

Six out of the fifteen Council members had called for the meeting—France, Greece, Panama, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States—citing Iran’s increased stockpile of enriched uranium at a level nearing what is required for weapon production.

Tehran denies any intention to build a nuclear weapon. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned that Iran is significantly accelerating uranium enrichment, reaching a purity level of 60%, which is close to the 90% threshold needed for nuclear weapons.

Talks between Tehran and the remaining signatories of the 2015 nuclear agreement have gained momentum as Iran’s nuclear program remains a critical global issue.

Abbas Araghtchi stated that Iran would soon engage in a fifth round of negotiations with the European powers involved in the deal—France, the United Kingdom, and Germany—and confirmed a meeting in Beijing on Friday with two other signatories, Russia and China.

China Meeting

Earlier today, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated in a press release that “the three parties will exchange views on Iran’s nuclear file and other issues of common concern.”

The meeting is expected to be attended by Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, along with his Russian and Iranian counterparts, Sergey Ryabkov and Kazem Gharib Abadi.

In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei confirmed in a statement that the trilateral talks on Friday would focus on “developments related to the nuclear issue and lifting the sanctions” imposed on Iran.

During Donald Trump‘s first presidential term, which ended in 2021, Washington withdrew from the historic agreement that had imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump subsequently reinstated those sanctions on Tehran.

Since then, all efforts to revive the agreement have failed.

Following the recent opening of multiple communication channels between Russia and the United States, Moscow officially confirmed that Iran’s nuclear program was among the topics discussed during a phone call between the two countries’ leaders, according to a Kremlin statement.

Initially, media reports suggested that Moscow had expressed willingness to mediate between Tehran and Washington, a role later confirmed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his recent visit to Tehran.

At the time, Lavrov emphasized that “diplomatic measures remain on the table,” indicating the possibility of negotiated solutions rather than an escalation of tensions between Iran and the United States.