Iran Declines Direct Negotiations with the United States

What Happens?

The President of Iran delivered a message to the Trump Administration through Oman saying the Iranian regime would not participate in direct negotiations with the United States. 

“We responded to the US president’s letter via Oman and rejected the option of direct talks, but we are open to indirect negotiations,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said during a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Sunday.

Iran’s response follows a letter sent by President Trump to Tehran suggesting direct negotiations are in everyone’s interests. There was no immediate response from the Trump Administration to Iran’s refusal to participate in direct negotiations.

Why it Matters

Iran’s President said there is still a path to indirect negotiations, although he did not specify what such a course might be. Because the United States and Iran do not have formal diplomatic relations, there is no diplomatic mechanism by which leaders in the two countries can communicate directly with each other. 

Instead, they must rely on intermediaries like Oman or Qatar. 

The absence of direct diplomatic relations makes communication and negotiation more difficult because the use of intermediaries makes the process slower and less certain. The United States and Iran have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 when the Iranian Revolution swept the current regime into power and expelled the U.S. backed Shah of Iran government. 

Iran has been the clear loser in the war between Israel and Gaza since 2023 because many Iranian proxies, including HAMAS, suffered military defeat at the hands of the Israeli military. 

The defeat of Iranian proxies and the inability of any of them to defend Gaza has also depleted Iran’s credibility in the Middle East because it constantly promised to defeat Israel and failed to do so.

President Trump has threatened military action against Iran if there are no direct negotiations, but military action would be difficult and risky. Iran is much larger and more populous than Iraq, and even with a full-scale invasion U.S. forces found Iraq difficult to manage. 

Iranian forces are also well defended against air strikes, meaning any military action using manned aircraft will likely result in U.S. casualties, something the American public disdains. 

In addition, Iranian ballistic missiles are capable of reaching American bases throughout the Middle East. If the U.S. launched a major bombing campaign against Iran, Iranian missiles would likely soon start falling on American bases throughout the region. 

How it Affects You

Iran’s credibility and military proxies have been weakened by two years of war, but they remain dangerous and capable of inflicting damage on both American forces in the Middle East and Israel. 

Although indirect negotiations are frustrating and uncertain, they are probably still a better option than military force.