Iran "Ready for Nuclear Talks"... Signals Dialogue to Trump

Warm Atmosphere Ahead of Trump’s Inauguration as US President

About two weeks before the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Iran expressed its willingness to engage in talks with the West regarding the nuclear negotiations.

On the 3rd (local time), Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Ministry official, stated in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV), "If Western countries can bring about a new agreement, we are ready to immediately start constructive negotiations on the nuclear program." This was reported by Russia's Sputnik news agency citing Iran's state-run IRNA news agency. He added that the negotiations he referred to meant "negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement."

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol is meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi during the 79th United Nations General Assembly high-level session held in New York, USA, on September 26 last year (local time). Photo by Yonhap News Agency

This statement came ten days ahead of the scheduled talks on the 13th in Geneva between Iran and three European countries: the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Previously, Iran and these three countries held deputy minister-level talks in Geneva, Switzerland, at the end of November last year, but no concrete results were disclosed. Given that Iran did not reveal any outcomes from the talks and only announced plans for follow-up discussions, many analysts believed there had been no significant progress.

On the contrary, tensions surrounding the Iranian nuclear issue in the international community increased around that time. Iran notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the installation of an additional 6,000 centrifuges, and U.S. media reported that the Trump transition team was considering a "preemptive strike" on Iran's nuclear facilities. With international tensions escalating over Iran's nuclear facilities, attention is focused on whether the negotiations will break new ground.

Previously, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal with the West (JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), which led to the sanctions being lifted. However, in 2018, then-U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, prompting Iran to resume its nuclear program. Since 2019, Iran has increased the enrichment level of uranium beyond the agreed limit of 3.67%, recently raising it to 60%, which is considered "near-weapons-grade."