TEHRAN -- Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Iran will engage in “indirect” nuclear negotiations with the U.S. via Oman, coming after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the two countries will be holding direct talks. 
“Iran and the United States will meet in Oman on Saturday for indirect high-level talks. It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America’s court,” the foreign minister said in a post on X early on Tuesday. 
Trump told reporters on Monday, following his meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Washington will be “having direct talks with Iran, and they’ve started.”
“It’ll go on Saturday. We have a very big meeting, and we’ll see what can happen,” the U.S. president added. 
Iran signaled its readiness for indirect negotiations recently in a response to a letter sent by Trump to the leadership in Tehran. 
Iranian officials had previously vowed – following a surge in U.S. threats and harsh sanctions on Iran – that it would not negotiate under pressure. 
“Such negotiations amount to dictation, and we do not believe in that approach. Indirect negotiations can help ensure a real and meaningful dialogue, and that’s the path we will pursue,” Araghchi said. 
Araghchi, speaking in Algeria on Tuesday, said Iran’s primary goal in the negotiations is to secure the rights of its people and achieve the lifting of sanctions.
“If the other side is genuinely willing, this goal is attainable, regardless of whether the talks are direct or indirect,” he said.
The minister stressed that Iran favors indirect negotiations and has no plan to engage in direct talks.
Araghchi said indirect talks have occurred many times in the history of international relations.
“There are countries that, due to historical or other reasons, refuse to engage in direct talks. The current negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, for instance, are taking place indirectly through the U.S., since neither side is willing to meet face-to-face.”
Regarding the agenda of the talks, Araghchi dismissed Israeli speculation that the process would mirror U.S.-Libya negotiations from the early 2000s, which led to the dismantling of Libya’s nuclear facilities.
“People may speculate or express their wishes, but what the Zionist regime has suggested—a ‘Libya model’ of negotiations—is merely a fantasy that will never be realized,” he said.
The minister reiterated that Iran’s nuclear program is entirely peaceful and legitimate and that the country is ready to take confidence-building steps to demonstrate the sincerity of its position.
“If there are any questions or ambiguities, we are ready to clarify. We are confident in the peaceful nature of our program, and we have no problem taking further steps to build trust—so long as they don’t impose restrictions or undermine Iran’s national goals.
“In return for confidence-building, it is only natural that the unjust sanctions imposed based on false accusations must be lifted.”
U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will attend the talks on Washington’s behalf, while Araghchi himself will represent Iran.