{"id":455229,"date":"2026-02-07T22:22:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T22:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/455229\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T22:22:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T22:22:08","slug":"non-negotiable-iran-says-missiles-off-the-table-in-talks-with-the-us-politics-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/455229\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Non-negotiable\u2019: Iran says missiles off the table in talks with the US | Politics News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a05 mins<\/p>\n

info<\/p>\n

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he hopes talks with the United States will resume soon, while US President Donald Trump pledged another round of negotiations next week following mediated discussions in Oman.<\/p>\n

Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Iran\u2019s missile programme was \u201cnever negotiable\u201d in Friday\u2019s talks, and warned Tehran would target US military bases in the Middle East if the US attacks Iranian territory.<\/p>\n

Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list<\/p>\n

He added that despite the negotiations in Muscat being indirect, \u201can opportunity arose to shake hands with the American delegation\u201d. The talks were \u201ca good start<\/a>\u201c, but he insisted \u201cthere is a long way to go to build trust\u201d.<\/p>\n

Iranians in the capital, Tehran, however, seemed less positive.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my opinion, like previous times, negotiations will end without results because both sides are sticking to their own positions and not willing to back down,\u201d a woman who asked to remain anonymous told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

Abdullah al-Shayji, a US foreign policy expert at Kuwait University, said he hopes for a new deal between the two foes but is not feeling optimistic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a strong position\u201d from the US and \u201cbeing provoked by\u201d Israel to \u201cclamp down on the Iranians because they feel that Iran is at its weakest point\u201d so that it will be easy to extract concessions from it, especially after last month\u2019s antigovernment demonstrations<\/a>, al-Shayji said from the Al Jazeera Forum in Qatar\u2019s capital Doha.<\/p>\n

\"INTERACTIVE<\/p>\n

\u2018Inalienable right\u2019<\/p>\n

Despite calling the talks \u201cvery good\u201d on Friday, Trump signed an executive order effective from Saturday that called for the \u201cimposition of tariffs\u201d on countries still doing business with Iran.<\/p>\n

The US also announced new sanctions against numerous shipping entities and vessels aimed at curbing Iran\u2019s oil exports.<\/p>\n

More than one-quarter of Iran\u2019s trade is with China, including $18bn in imports and $14.5bn in exports in 2024, according to World Trade Organization data.<\/p>\n

Nuclear enrichment is Iran\u2019s \u201cinalienable right and must continue\u201d, Araghchi said, adding, \u201cWe are ready to reach a reassuring agreement on enrichment. The Iranian nuclear case will only be resolved through negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s missile programme is non-negotiable because it relates to a \u201cdefence issue\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n

Washington has sought to address Iran\u2019s ballistic missile programme and its support for armed groups in the region \u2013 issues that Israel has pushed to include in the talks, according to media reports.<\/p>\n

Tehran has repeatedly rejected expanding the scope of the negotiations beyond the nuclear issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Iranians are vehemently opposed to any concessions,\u201d said al-Shayji, as is the US, which makes it extremely hard for countries leading mediation efforts to \u201cget them closer together\u201d.<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s negotiations were the first since nuclear talks between Iran and the US collapsed last year following Israel\u2019s unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, which triggered a 12-day war<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Following widespread antigovernment protests in Iran last month, Trump ramped up threats against the country, deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"(FILES)The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln transiting the Arabian Sea in 2012 [File: AFP]\u2018Peace through strength\u2019<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s lead negotiators in Oman, special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner, visited the aircraft carrier stationed in the Arabian Sea on Saturday.<\/p>\n

In a social media post, Witkoff said the aircraft carrier and its strike group are \u201ckeeping us safe and upholding President Trump\u2019s message of peace through strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

Witkoff said he spoke with the pilot who downed an Iranian drone that approached the carrier \u201cwithout clear intent\u201d on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cProud to stand with the men and women who defend our interests, deter our adversaries, and show the world what American readiness and resolve look like, on watch every day,\u201d said Witkoff.<\/p>\n

While Trump has sought to use the aircraft carrier\u2019s deployment as a means to exert pressure on Iran, al-Shayji said this cannot be a long-term strategy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe [Trump] can\u2019t keep his forces at alert stage for too long. This would really discredit Trump\u2019s administration regarding being very harsh and hard-liners on Iran,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet Trump on Wednesday to discuss the Iran talks, his office said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu \u201cbelieves any negotiations must include limitations on ballistic missiles and a halting of the support for the Iranian axis\u201d, it said, referring to Iran\u2019s allies in the region.<\/p>\n

During the 12-day war, US warplanes bombed Iranian nuclear sites.<\/p>\n

Araghchi expressed hope that Washington would refrain from \u201cthreats and pressure\u201d so \u201cthe talks can continue\u201d.<\/p>\n

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