Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran’s talks in Oman on Saturday are an opportunity to test the seriousness of the United States which has a record of dealing in bad faith.

Addressing a group of intellectuals, scholars and media figures in Algiers where he was for an official visit on Tuesday, Araghchi stressed that the sole topic of the negotiations is the lifting of US sanctions on Tehran.

“The upcoming talks in Muscat are a new opportunity for diplomacy and a test to gauge the seriousness of the United States, which has a long history of non-commitment and unilateralism,” he said.

“The nuclear issue, in the sense of providing clarity and assurance about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of oppressive sanctions, is the only issue under discussion.”

In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, Araghchi touched on the regular exchange of messages between Iran and the US, dismissing assumptions that they were symbolic.

“We view them as representing a genuine attempt to clarify positions and open a window toward diplomacy,” he said, adding “Iran is ready to engage in earnest and with a view to seal a deal”.

“We will meet in Oman on Saturday for indirect negotiations. It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The model of engagement we propose is not novel,” Araghchi said, dismissing US President Donald Trump’s claim of direct talks. 

“The United States itself is intermediating indirect talks between Russia and Ukraine — a much more intense and complex conflict entailing strategic, territorial, military, security and economic aspects,” the minister wrote. 

He said pursuing “indirect talks” is a strategic decision based on experience, not ideology, driven by deep mistrust and skepticism—intensified by the US push to revive its so-called “maximum pressure” policy before engaging diplomatically.

Araghchi touched on the US military build-up in the region, warning that it could trigger a wider conflict while emphasizing Iran’s readiness to defend itself.

“To move forward today, we first need to agree that there can be no ‘military option,’ let alone a ‘military solution.’ President Trump clearly recognizes this reality in urging a ceasefire as the first course of action to end the Ukraine conflict,” he said. 

Araghchi warned that expanding the US military presence in the region risks American lives and undermines diplomacy, adding that “Iran, backed by a proud and resilient nation, will never yield to pressure or coercion”.

Araghchi reaffirmed Iran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, citing US intelligence assessments that Tehran is not pursuing nuclear weapons.

He stressed that Trump might not like the JCPOA, “but it contains one vital commitment: that ‘Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons.’”

Araghchi also criticized the US and EU for failing to implement their own commitments under the JCPOA, adding that any future agreement would require enforceable guarantees.

“There is a serious misconception that needs to be cleared up. Many in Washington portray Iran as a closed country from an economic point of view.

“The truth is that we are open to welcoming businesses from around the world. It is the US administrations and congressional impediments, not Iran, that have kept American enterprises away from the trillion-dollar opportunity that access to our economy represents,” he said.

Pointing to a past agreement with Boeing as evidence of Iran’s willingness to engage economically, Araghchi blamed US restrictions for the lack of business ties.

He said Tehran’s offer for indirect negotiations, if coupled with genuine will on the part of the US, can move the way forward.

Diplomatic engagement has worked before, and Iran is ready to demonstrate its peaceful intent, while the US can prove its commitment to diplomacy by honoring any agreement, with mutual respect as the foundation, Araghchi said. 

“The ball is now in America’s court. If it seeks a genuine diplomatic resolution, we have already shown the way.

“If, instead, it seeks to impose its will through pressure, it must know this: The Iranian people respond decisively to the language of force and threat in a unified way. There is a chance for the United States to finally have a president of peace. Whether to seize that opportunity is a choice,” he added.

In Algiers, Araghchi also underlined Iran’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and resistance movements, condemned the Israeli occupation of Palestine and slammed recent aggression in the besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank as genocide.

He also denounced Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and Syria, as well as its involvement in the war on Yemen alongside the US, stressing that supporting resistance movements of the Palestinian and Lebanese people is a moral and legal duty for all nations.

Araghchi further emphasized that resistance is “the only viable way to confront Israeli expansionism and aggression.”