Iran says seeks ‘real and fair’ deal in nuclear talks with US

Iran seeks a "real and fair” agreement with Washington on its nuclear programme, a senior aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said yesterday, setting the stage for a diplomatic showdown this weekend in Oman.Long-time adversaries Iran and the United States are set to hold talks today aimed at reaching a deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme.US President Donald Trump last month wrote to Khamenei urging negotiations, but warning of possible military action if Iran refuses."Far from putting up a show and merely talking in front of the cameras, Tehran is seeking a real and fair agreement, important and implementable proposals are ready,” Khamenei adviser Ali Shamkhani posted on X.He confirmed that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was heading to Oman "with full authority for indirect negotiations with America”, adding that if Washington showed goodwill, the path forward would be "smooth”.Ahead of the talks, Trump reiterated that military action was "absolutely” possible if they failed.Iran responded by saying Tehran could expel UN nuclear inspectors, prompting another US warning that this would be an "escalation”.Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.Yesterday, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran was "giving diplomacy a genuine chance in good faith and full vigilance”. "America should appreciate this decision, which was made despite their hostile rhetoric,” he said.The talks were first announced by Trump during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington.He said they would be high-level and "direct”, but Iran insisted they would be "indirect”."The talks will be conducted indirectly through the exchange of texts,” claimed Iran’s Fars news agency, without naming a source.White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt insisted yesterday that the talks would be direct, "and I want to make that very clear”."The president believes in diplomacy, direct talks, talking directly in the same room,” she told reporters in Washington.Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff are due to lead the talks in Oman, which has played a mediating role on the Iran nuclear issue.Witkoff visited Iran’s ally Russia yesterday for talks on Ukraine with President Vladimir Putin.Expert-level consultations between Russia, China and Iran on nuclear issues were held in Moscow on Tuesday, Russia’s foreign ministry said.Iran has in recent months also been talking with the three European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, Britain, France and Germany.The 2015 accord saw sanctions relief for Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme.Yesterday, the European Union cautioned that there was "no alternative to diplomacy” on the Iranian nuclear issue.On Thursday, Washington imposed additional sanctions on Iran, targeting its oil network and nuclear programme.Iran’s nuclear agency chief Mohammad Eslami downplayed their impact."They applied maximum pressure with various sanctions, but they were unable to prevent the country from progressing,” he said. "They still think that they can stop this nation and country with threats and intimidation, psychological operations, or stupid actions.”Iran has been in the spotlight since Trump returned to office, and its regional allies have suffered major setbacks.