These remarks, first voiced by U.S. Secretary of State Rubio and later echoed by Witkoff—who had previously implied recognition of Iran’s right to enrichment—were eventually reinforced by the U.S. President himself in a televised interview.
In response, Iran’s Foreign Minister—who leads the Iranian negotiating team and oversees the nuclear file—criticized and rejected these remarks in an interview, stressing that the true American position would become clear at the negotiating table. And indeed, that’s what happened.
The Americans entered the third round of negotiations in Muscat with basically the same strategy. Despite numerous indirect discussions conveyed by the Omani side, the round ended with both sides agreeing to continue the talks, and the evaluations were positive.
However, the U.S. strategy of shaping negotiation dynamics through media narratives seemed to persist. Even after Iran's firm reactions during the third round, the U.S. escalated tensions again by imposing new sanctions and issuing threats, including a statement from the U.S. Secretary of Defense that criticized Iran for supporting Yemen’s resistance. This was followed by the Witkoff’s anti-Iran rhetoric.
This prompted Iran’s Foreign Minister to protest to the Omani mediators, warning that such contradictory behavior would derail the negotiations. Despite the Americans’ proposal for the fourth round of talks to be held in Rome, the firm and principal stance of the Islamic Republic of Iran led to the cancellation of the talks scheduled for Saturday, May 3. The Omanis, however, officially attributed the delay to logistical issues.
Facing Iran’s decisive stance, the U.S. worked hard to resume dialogue. It was eventually agreed that talks would continue on May 10 in Muscat. This round was markedly more direct and, as the Foreign Ministry spokesperson described them, also more “difficult”, as he told the press “The fourth round of indirect Iran–U.S. talks just concluded; difficult but useful negotiations for better understanding each other’s positions and finding reasonable and realistic solutions to contentious issues. The time and place of the next round will be announced by the Omani coordinator.”
With President Trump’s visit to the region, the provocations resumed. His remarks, seemingly intended to humiliate the great Iranian nation, were swiftly countered by firm statements from the Iranian President and Foreign Minister.
As always, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic responded wisely and calmly to these insults, stating:
"Not worth responding to..."
It is evident that the Zionist regime—which seems to be directing American policy instead of Trump—is doing everything it can to derail the negotiations. According to the political Deputy of Foreign Minister, it’s still unclear what the Americans even want, as they fail to follow the simplest diplomatic norms.
This week, Witkoff again spoke of “zero enrichment,” and the Foreign Minister gave a firm response. During the "Tehran Dialogue Forum," President Masoud Pezeshkian resolutely addressed these attacks:
“They cannot deprive us of our natural right. What do they plan to do? Sanction us? We've been under sanctions for years. Attack us? They don’t have the courage.”
Some even interpreted the President’s remarks as an "implicit threat to close the Strait of Hormuz."
The political and media pressure escalated to the point where, in his recent speech, the Supreme Leader explicitly warned the American negotiators:
“For them to say ‘we will not allow Iran to enrich’—this is nonsense. We're not waiting for anyone’s permission. The Islamic Republic has its own policies and will pursue them.”
By Mohammad Hossein Ranjbaran
