Iran on Sunday rejected an offer to negotiate directly with the United States at an informal meeting proposed by Europeans to reactivate the nuclear deal struck by President Donald J. Trump nearly three years ago.
A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said the recent actions taken by Washington and Europeans led Iran to conclude that “it was not the right time” to hold such negotiations. His statements were made days after President Biden ordered retaliatory attacks against Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria, linked to recent attacks against Americans and allies in Iraq.
“There has been no change in America’s positions and actions,” said Khatibzadeh in a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The Biden government has not set aside Trump’s policy of maximum pressure, nor has it announced its commitments” under the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by Trump.
Biden said the United States would return to the deal if Iran first returns to the commitments it made when it was signed. Iran has demanded that the United States suspend all sanctions against it, and has recently taken steps to increase uranium enrichment and limit access by international inspectors to its nuclear facilities.
This stalemate led European signatories to the agreement to suggest an informal meeting in which Americans would attend as guests and both sides would have the opportunity to get directly involved.
In particular, American officials expressed confidence that time issues could be resolved, noting that when the nuclear deal was being put into effect in early 2016, Iran and the United States were involved in a series of precisely coordinated actions that eliminated the question of who was making the first move.
But political sensitivities are high.
Biden is aware that Republican opponents of the deal are looking for any sign that his new government is making concessions without receiving anything in return. And Iran has a presidential election in less than four months, which means that no Iranian official wants to appear to be bowing to the American will.
So far, Biden has combined a willingness to re-engage in diplomacy with modest military resistance to Iran’s support for militias sought in Iraq and elsewhere.
The gestures of goodwill included abandoning a failed effort by the Trump administration to force the re-imposition of United Nations sanctions dating back to the 2015 agreement. Trump argued that once Iran resumed nuclear material production at levels prohibited by the agreement, these sanctions should automatically return to place.
The State Department has also eased travel restrictions for Iranian diplomats who attend the United Nations and accept Europe’s invitations for direct negotiations.
But then came Biden’s decision to order military attacks on Thursday in several buildings used by Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia and other groups in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border. The attacks were a response to a February 15 rocket attack in northern Iraq, which killed a civilian contractor and injured an American military and coalition troop members.
Biden said the attacks are aimed at sending a message to Iran that “you cannot act with impunity – be careful”.
The escalation of military tensions coincided with Iran pondering whether it would meet with the Americans, a notion that is as unpopular within Iran’s conservative factions as among many Republican leaders in the United States.
A White House spokesman said on Sunday that the United States was “disappointed” by Iran’s rejection of the talks, but that “we remain ready to resume significant diplomacy,” Reuters reported.
Henry Rome, a senior analyst who follows Iran for Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy, said Iran’s decision partly reflects its leaders’ desire to appear resilient in the face of US pressure.
“This is far from a death sentence for the negotiations,” he said by email.
In his comments on Sunday, Khatibzadeh said Iran would respond in kind to Washington’s pressure and concessions.
Iran, he said, “will return to our commitments” if sanctions are lifted. But, he warned, it will also “respond to aggressive actions accordingly”.
Rome said the impasse made it clear how “confusing” the revival of the deal could be.
“Even if the overall direction of the trip is clear,” he said, “Washington and Tehran will zigzag in efforts to increase influence and address their own internal political considerations.”
Rick Gladstone contributed reporting.