Iran Reacts to Trump’s Nuclear Talks Offer as U.S. Deploys Bombers to the Region
Iran has provided an official written reply to U.S. President Donald Trump's letter suggesting fresh nuclear negotiations and warning of repercussions if an agreement isn’t reached quickly, according to statements made by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday.
Trump set an ultimatum for Iran in his letter sent three weeks back, giving them a two-month timeframe to agree upon a fresh nuclear accord; otherwise, they might confront possible military consequences.
Iran conveyed its reply through the Gulf nation of Oman, as reported by a source familiar with the matter to the U.S. news outlet Axios. The sultanate then informed the United States accordingly.
The Omani officials informed the U.S. about the communications they had with the Iranians and plan to hand over the Iranian letter to the White House within the next few days, according to the source.
Araghchi stated at a press briefing that Iran continues to uphold its stance of not engaging in direct negotiations with the Trump administration as long as the "maximum pressure" strategy initiated by Trump remains active. However, they expressed openness to participating in indirect discussions.
Recently, the U.S. military dispatched multiple B-2 stealth bombers to the Diego Garcia military base located in the Indian Ocean. A U.S. official stated that this deployment is not unrelated to Trump's two-month ultimatum.
The B-2 bombers have the capacity to transport massive bunker buster bombs, which would play a crucial role in potential military operations targeting Iran’s concealed nuclear sites.
A representative from U.S. Strategic Command verified the deployment to Axios and stated that Stratcom "regularly carries out worldwide operations in collaboration with other combatant commands, services, and relevant U.S. government agencies to prevent, identify, and, if needed, counteract strategic assaults against the United States and its allies."
A few weeks back during an interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo, Trump disclosed that he had dispatched a letter to the Iranian leader suggesting direct talks.
The letter was handed over by Steve Witkoff, who served as an envoy for him, to UAE’s Mohamed bin Zayed (MBZ). In turn, MBZ dispatched his emissary, Anwar Gargash, to Tehran so he could present the message to Araghchi.
During the same week, Trump stated that the United States was "at the last moment" with Iran. He emphasized, "We cannot allow them to possess a nuclear weapon. Things are about to unfold shortly. My preference is for a peaceful agreement over the alternative; however, the latter choice would resolve this issue."
During the Obama and Biden administrations, Oman served as a crucial mediator between the U.S. and Iran.
Multiple rounds of indirect discussions have taken place in Oman involving advisors from Biden’s team and Iranian representatives. These conversations primarily centered around regional matters and hostage situations, without resulting in substantial talks about the nuclear program.