DUBAI: Iran continues to hold indirect nuclear talks with the United States through Oman, the world's leading nuclear power firm. Etemad Iran's acting foreign minister was quoted as saying by Thursday's paper:
Ali Bagheri Kani's comments followed comments on Monday in which a White House spokesman said the United States was not ready to resume nuclear talks with Iran under newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“Indirect talks are taking place through Oman, but the negotiation process is confidential and its details cannot be revealed,” Bagheri Kani said.
Efforts are underway to create a “suitable ground” for negotiations with the new Iranian government that will take office in the coming weeks.
Pezeshkian, a low-profile moderate who won Iran's second round of presidential elections last week, has said he will promote a pragmatic foreign policy and ease tensions with the six powers that have been involved in now-stalled nuclear talks to revive a 2015 nuclear pact.
However, Iran's foreign policy is ultimately decided by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who warned before the election last month that “anyone who thinks nothing can be done without America's support will not run the country well.”
Pezeshkian takes office at a time of rising tensions in the Middle East over the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and cross-border firing between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which has exacerbated disputes between Tehran and Washington.
In a letter to Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, Pezeshkian reiterated on Wednesday Tehran's continued support for the Palestinians against “the occupation of the Zionist regime (Israel).”
Hezbollah and Hamas are part of a group of Iranian-backed factions in the region known as the Axis of Resistance.
