Oman, Switzerland Offer to Mediate between Iran, US, Zarif Says
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif confirmed that the country has received messages from Switzerland and Oman offering mediation between Tehran and Washington, but that no talks are currently underway between Iran and the US.
“Of course, there are some messages from other countries to mediate (between Iran and the US),” Zarif said in an interview with the Persian-language Iran newspaper.
“The embassy of Switzerland, as the country protecting US interests in Iran, has always conveyed messages (between Tehran and Washington) over the past 39 years and still does so,” he said.
Zarif further pointed to Oman’s offers for mediation and said, “Of course, countries in the region, especially those who are as wise as Oman, would not like to see the current situation and would like to take action to prevent the crisis from escalating.”
However, there has been no direct dialogue between the Islamic Republic and the US, the Iranian top diplomat added.
The comments came after US President Donald Trump last week voiced a willingness to meet with Iran's leadership, without preconditions, "whenever they want."
"I would certainly meet with Iran if they wanted to meet," Trump said during a joint news conference at the White House alongside Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on July 30.
"I do believe that they will probably end up wanting to meet. I'm ready to meet whenever they want to,” he added.
"No preconditions," he added. "They want to meet, I'll meet, whenever they want."
On May 8, Trump pulled his country out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was achieved in 2015 after years of negotiations among Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).
Following the US exit, Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the accord.
