“Direct talks with a country (ed. note: the US) that constantly threatens to use force and expresses contradictory positions through its various officials are pointless“, said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
On March 7, US President Donald Trump said he had sent a message to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proposing talks on the nuclear program. Tehran rejected direct dialogue with Washington, but allowed the talks to continue through intermediaries.
On March 30, the US leader said he would impose additional tariffs on Iran in two weeks if the talks on the nuclear program did not yield results. He also threatened the Islamic Republic with unprecedented bombings if it completely rejected the deal. In response, Khamenei noted that he did not believe in the likelihood of US military intervention, but warned that any attempt by Washington to provoke unrest in Iran would be resolutely repelled.