PARIS: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday he hoped talks with the United States would resume soon, while reiterating Tehran’s red lines and warning against any American attack.
According to excerpts published on his official Telegram channel during an interview with the Al Jazeera network, Araghchi said that Iran’s missile programme was “never negotiable” in Friday’s talks in Oman. He warned that Tehran would target US bases in the region if the Washington attacked Iranian territory.
However, Araghchi also said that despite the talks in Muscat being indirect, “an opportunity arose to shake hands with the American delegation”.
He called the talks “a good start”, but added that building trust would take time. He said the talks would resume “soon”.
Trump calls talks ‘very good’, pledges another round of negotiations next week
Also, US President Donald Trump called the talks “very good”, and pledged another round of negotiations next week.
Despite this, he signed an executive order effective from Saturday that called for the “imposition of tariffs” on countries still doing business with Iran.
The US also announced new sanctions against numerous shipping entities and vessels, aimed at curbing Iran’s oil exports.
More than a quarter of Iran’s trade is with China, with $18 billion in imports and $14.5bn in exports in 2024, according to World Trade Organisation data.
‘Defence issue’
Araghchi told Al Jazeera that nuclear enrichment was Iran’s “inalienable right and must continue”. “We are ready to reach a reassuring agreement on enrichment,” he said.
“The Iranian nuclear case will only be resolved through negotiations.” He also said Iran’s missile programme was “never negotiable” because it relates to a “defence issue”.
Washington has sought to address Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its support for militant groups in the region — issues which Israel has pushed to include in the talks, according to media reports.
Tehran has repeatedly rejected expanding the scope of the negotiations beyond the nuclear issue.
Aragchi warned that Iran “will attack their [US] bases in the region” if Washington targets Iranian territory.
The negotiations were the first since nuclear talks between Iran and the United States collapsed last year following Israel’s unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, which triggered a 12-day war. During the war US warplanes bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
At Friday’s talks in Oman, the US delegation was led by Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his influential son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“In a very positive atmosphere, our arguments were exchanged and the views of the other side were shared with us,” Araghchi told Iranian state TV after the talks, adding that the two sides had “agreed to continue negotiations”.
Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2026
