Iran called today, Friday, for "mutual respect," before the start of talks with envoys of US President Donald Trump in the Sultanate of Oman, which Tehran wants to limit to the nuclear issue.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote from Muscat, where he will head his country's delegation to the talks, in a post on X in English that "equality, mutual respect, and mutual interest are not empty words, but rather indispensable conditions and the foundations for a lasting agreement."
These are the first talks since the United States launched strikes on key sites of the Iranian nuclear program in June during the 12-day war that broke out between Iran and Israel with the Hebrew state launching a surprise attack.
Before the start of negotiations on Friday morning, Araghchi held discussions with his Omani counterpart, Badr Al-Busaidi, according to the Iranian Mehr agency.
The talks are taking place amid a significant military buildup, as Trump deployed a naval fleet to the region without ruling out the use of force again if the discussions fail.
Araghchi wrote, "Iran enters diplomacy with open eyes and a firm memory of the past year," adding, "We are conducting talks in good faith and firmly adhering to our rights."
He affirmed, "Commitments must be fulfilled. Equality, mutual respect, and mutual interest are not empty words, but rather indispensable conditions and the foundations for a lasting agreement."
The American delegation is headed by Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
This meeting comes after the bloody crackdown launched by the Iranian regime against a widespread protest movement, which resulted in thousands of deaths according to human rights organizations.
Trump said on Thursday, "They are negotiating," adding, "They don't want us to hit them," recalling that his country is deploying "a large fleet" in the Gulf.
After the US president threatened to strike Iran in support of the protesters, he changed his speech to focus on Iran's nuclear program.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said on Thursday evening that the US delegation would discuss "zero nuclear capabilities" with Iran, and warned that Trump has "many non-diplomatic options at his disposal," noting that he is "the commander-in-chief of the most powerful army in history."
Western countries and Israel accuse Iran of seeking to possess a nuclear bomb, which Tehran denies, asserting its right to have a civilian nuclear program.
