Iran's foreign minister said Tehran and Washington believe nuclear talks should resume soon after indirect negotiations in Oman, although Tehran ruled out discussions on its missile program and uranium enrichment.
Abbas Araqchi told Qatar's Al Jazeera television on February 7 that both sides agreed that discussions should resume soon, adding that there is no agreed deadline for the next meeting.
While saying that Tehran is open to reaching an agreement, Araqchi added that issues related to Iran's missile program and uranium enrichment are unacceptable for future negotiations.
"Neither now nor in the future can there be negotiations on missiles, because this is a defense issue," he said. "The issue of stopping enrichment is not negotiable from Iran's perspective."
Araqchi added that Iran would respond to any potential American attack: "If Iran is attacked, we will target American bases in the region."
Araqchi's comments came a day after delegations from Tehran and Washington held talks brokered by Oman and after US President Donald Trump said the discussions were "very good".
While neither side announced concrete results, both suggested that negotiations on Iran's nuclear program could continue in the near term.
"Iran seems very keen to make a deal. We'll have to see what kind of deal it is," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
"The fact that the talks did not fail and that both sides did not walk away from the negotiating table indicates that perhaps they found enough common ground or that both sides put some concessions on the table that were attractive enough to continue the talks," Ali Vaez, director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group, told REL's Radio Farda.
The talks took place amid a US military buildup in the Middle East. Tensions have been rising over more than two weeks of unrest in Iran, during which authorities launched a crackdown that rights groups say has killed thousands of civilians.
As reports of the massacre began to emerge from Iran, Trump threatened to strike Iran if any of the tens of thousands of arrested protesters were executed.
The US president has continued to keep military options on the table, while at the same time emphasizing efforts to curb Iran's nuclear program, which Western powers fear is aimed at producing a bomb, despite Tehran's insistence that it has civilian purposes.
Following the talks in Oman, the US State Department announced new sanctions on Iran's oil exports, targeting 15 entities and 14 ships of the so-called "shadow fleet".
"The United States will continue to act against the network of shippers and traders involved in the transportation and purchase of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products, and petrochemicals," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
Separately, Trump signed an executive order that could impose secondary tariffs on countries importing goods from Iran, according to a White House statement.
The order describes this step as "necessary and appropriate" after receiving additional information from senior officials regarding the "actions and policies" of the Iranian government.
Trump has not commented directly on the order, but he repeated "no nuclear weapons" for Iran during a conversation with reporters on Air Force One.
The order does not specify the level of the tariff, but cites 25 percent as an example. It says the tariff could apply to goods imported into the U.S. from any country that “directly or indirectly purchases, imports, or otherwise provides any goods or services from Iran.”
The White House said this latest executive order reaffirms the "continued state of national emergency regarding Iran" and noted that the president could change it if circumstances change.
"The President is holding Iran accountable for its pursuit of nuclear capabilities, support for terrorism, ballistic missile development, and regional destabilization that threaten the security of the United States, its allies, and its interests," the order said.
t7 live
