Iran says it will consider ‘opportunities’ as well as threats in Trump letter

March 20, 2025 MeighTimbol News 0
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi looks on as he speaks to the media, in Beirut, Lebanon, October 4, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
| REUTERS | Published March 20, 2025
DUBAI, March 20 (Reuters) – Iran will consider the “opportunities” as well as the threats in a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump that urged it to reach a new nuclear deal, and will soon respond, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday.
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected Trump’s letter last week as deceptive, saying Trump’s excessive demands would “tighten the knot of sanctions and increase pressure on Iran”.

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But Araqchi said Tehran was still evaluating the letter and weighing its reply.
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“Trump’s letter was more a threat, but it claims to have opportunities. We paid attention to all points held in the letter and will consider both threat and opportunity in our response,” Araqchi said.
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“There is an opportunity behind every menace.”
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On Wednesday, Axios reported that Trump’s letter gave Iran a two-month deadline to reach a nuclear deal or face stricter sanctions under the U.S. President’s renewed “maximum pressure” campaign.
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Araqchi said Tehran would respond to Trump’s letter in the coming days via appropriate channels, rejecting any direct negotiations as long as Washington levels “pressure, threats and sanctions”.
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In his first term, Trump withdrew the U.S. from a 2015 deal between Iran and major powers that had placed strict limits on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
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After Trump pulled out in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions, Iran breached and far surpassed those limits in the development of its nuclear programme.
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Western powers accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons by enriching uranium up to 60% purity, above what they say is justifiable for a civilian programme.
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Tehran says the development of its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes and that it respects its commitments under international law.

 

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SOURCE: www.reuters.com

RELATED: Trump letter to Iran set 2-month deadline to reach nuclear deal

Source quoted by Axios describes letter proposing renewed talks to Khamenei as ‘tough,’ threatening consequences if no accord achieved

US President Donald Trump (left) speaks, as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on March 6, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP); Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei attends a meeting with a group of defense officials, in Tehran, February 12, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)US President Donald Trump (left) speaks, as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on March 6, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP); Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei attends a meeting with a group of defense officials, in Tehran, February 12, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
| THE TIMES OF ISRAEL | Published March 20, 2025

The letter US President Donald Trump sent to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier this month included a two-month deadline for reaching a new nuclear deal, according to a Wednesday report by Axios.

The letter, delivered to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi via an Emirati diplomat, proposed renewed nuclear talks between the US and Iran, while threatening Tehran with consequences should it continue pursuing its nuclear program, the report said.

A source speaking to Axios described the letter as “tough,” since it reportedly ruled out open-ended negotiations and set a time limit for the parties to reach a deal.

It is unclear whether the two-month countdown began on the day the letter was delivered, or with the start of negotiations.

According to a US official and another unnamed source who spoke to the outlet, the White House briefed several US allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, about the letter’s contents before it was delivered to Iran.

Trump revealed the letter’s existence in an early March interview with Fox Business News.

“I’ve written them a letter saying, ‘I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing,’” Trump said. “You can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”

He added that there are “two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal… I would prefer to make a deal, because I’m not looking to hurt Iran. They’re great people.”

The next week, Khamenei appeared to reject holding negotiations with the US, calling the proposal “deception” from Washington, designed to make it seem as if Iran was refusing to negotiate.

He claimed that negotiating with the Trump administration, which he said had excessive demands, “will tighten the knot of sanctions and increase pressure on Iran.”

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman later told Reuters that Iran would respond to the letter “after full scrutiny.”

In 2018, Trump withdrew the US from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy. Tehran reacted a year later by violating the deal’s nuclear curbs.

While leaving the door open for a nuclear pact with Tehran, Trump has reinstated the “maximum pressure” campaign he applied in his first term as president to isolate Iran from the global economy and drive its oil exports towards zero.

 

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SOURCE: www.timesofisrael.com

 

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