Iranian anger over unexpected face-to-face meeting with Trump envoy

Iran has hit back at speculation that it will hold direct talks with the United States.

Tehran has said it wants to continue negotiations through Oman and other mediators, and not speak directly as Donald Trump, the US president, has demanded.

Mr Trump is seeking an agreement to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear bomb and has warned of a military strike if an agreement is not forthcoming. Iran wants a release of sanctions that have crippled its economy.

Iran’s response comes after hardliners criticised a brief chat between Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, and Abbas Araghchi, Tehran’s foreign minister, inside a hotel in Oman on Saturday and feared two sides might engage in direct talks.

“It was very normal,” said Mr Araghchi. “When we were leaving, the two groups ran into each other and we spoke for a few minutes – it’s a very accepted issue and we have always respected the diplomatic politeness while encountering American diplomats.”

But Hamid Rasaei, an Iranian MP, criticised Mr Araghchi and reminded him that Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, had only authorised indirect talks.

“Mr Araghchi, you had permission for indirect negotiations, this is not a normal encounter at all – you could have left the place later… and not meet,” he said.

“We all know the supreme leader believes America can’t be trusted and that negotiations with the Great Satan are futile,” he added.

Addressing the criticism, Esmaeil Baqaei, the foreign ministry spokesman, said on Sunday the “negotiations will continue to be indirect”.

“Oman will remain the mediator, but we are discussing the location of future negotiations,” he said.

Mr Baqaei said the talks would only focus on “the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions”, and that Iran “will not have any talks with the American side on any other issue”.

Analysts believe the US wants to discuss Iran’s ballistic missile programme along with Tehran’s support for its regional proxy forces.

The two arch-enemies agreed to continue talks aimed at securing a deal to limit the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme following “constructive” preliminary discussions in Oman.

Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Saturday the talks were “going okay”.

“I can’t tell you because nothing matters until you get it done, so I don’t like talking about it,” he said. “The Iran situation is going pretty good, I think.”

The negotiations, which Iranian state TV has apparently been instructed to emphasise were “indirect” – sometimes mentioning it several times in a single sentence – sparked fierce verbal clashes in the Iranian parliament on Sunday.

Mehdi Koochakzadeh, a parliamentary representative from Tehran, said: “People of Iran, be aware that the parliament has no knowledge of these negotiations.”

He added: “O people of Iran, be alert that we are going through historically sensitive moments and I’m not saying what’s happening now shouldn’t happen – perhaps we have no other choice – but know who is a friend and who is an enemy.”

Another MP said: “If America brings up the issue of defence and missile programmes, the talks will definitely end.”

Ayatollah Khamenei did not directly mention the talks in a meeting with a group of senior military commanders on Sunday.

He said: “What makes the enemy sensitive is not the name Islamic Republic, but rather the determination of a country to remain Muslim, independent, and dignified without relying on others – that’s what angers them.”

‘Hope for genuine talks’

Tehran-based newspapers have also commented upon the talks.

“Hope for genuine talks” was the front-page headline of the reformist Shargh newspaper, while the hard-line Keyhan ran with: “The prospect of an agreement with Trump is unclear – don’t keep the country in limbo.”

In the Arman-e Melli newspaper, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, former MP, wrote: “The first thing both sides did in Oman was to overcome the negative atmosphere that had taken shape over time.”

Markets in Tehran reacted positively, and the Iranian rial – badly devalued since Mr Trump took office – regained some of its value in morning trading, however, it began to slip again following the clashes in parliament.