Iranian High-Ranking Diplomat Confirms Tehran-Washington Talks

(Patria) - Acting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri said that his government has been engaged in negotiations with its greatest enemy, the United States of America, hosted by the Gulf Sultanate of Oman, AFP reported.

When asked about this at a press conference during his visit to Beirut, Bagheri said, "We have always continued negotiations... and they have never stopped".

Washington and Tehran have not had diplomatic relations since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979. The British daily Financial Times reported in March that Bagheri was involved in indirect negotiations with the United States in Oman in early 2024, against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions due to the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The US is a close ally of Israel and a major provider of military aid, while Iran supports Hamas.

Bagheri arrived in Lebanon on Monday for his first foreign trip since taking over the interim role following the death of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash last month, which also killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Bagheri said the choice of destination for his visit was because "Lebanon is the cradle of resistance" against Israel.

Iran supports the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which has been exchanging fire with Israel since the start of the war in Gaza. Bagheri, a former chief Iranian nuclear negotiator, said talks with Western powers regarding Tehran's atomic activities are ongoing. The West fears Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, which the Islamic Republic has always denied.

"We advise them not to miss the opportunity again and to compensate for the actions they had to take and did not," Bagheri said at the opening of a meeting of the UN nuclear agency in Vienna.

Diplomats told AFP that the United Kingdom, France, and Germany will seek to condemn Tehran for its lack of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the organization's board meeting.

At the last board meeting in March, European powers abandoned their plans to confront Iran due to a lack of support from Washington. Bagheri is expected to travel from Lebanon to Syria today.