Iran’s president today said that the Islamic Republic has rejected direct negotiations with the United States over its rapidly advancing nuclear programme, offering Tehran’s first response to President Donald Trump’s letter to the country’s supreme leader. President Masoud Pezeshkian in his response, delivered via the sultanate of Oman, left open the possibility of indirect negotiations with Washington.

However, such talks have made no progress since Trump in his first term unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. The White House offered no immediate reaction to the announcement.