Iranupdated 2h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 27 April 2026Iran FM Abbas Araghchi Calls US Outreach A Positive Step, Rules Out US Meetings
“President says outreach focused on medical supplies, not peace talks”
“The letter, written after predominantly Qatari mediation, was sent to the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council, Mohsen Rezaei on Sunday.”
Photo: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Iran says US outreach is a positive step; no plans for talks now. Iran confirms receipt of JD Vance letter and has no immediate response planned.
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Door to talks, no meeting
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that the United States effort to open dialogue with Tehran is “a positive step,” while he said there are currently no plans for meetings with US officials regarding the eight-month-old war. Araghchi said Iran studied a letter sent by US Vice President JD Vance in high-level meetings and set out Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which he said would pave the way for renewed negotiations with Washington.
Araghchi said an Iranian delegation traveled to Doha and that one of his aides is in Qatar to continue consultations. Araghchi played down talk of upcoming meetings, saying “What is being circulated in this regard is merely media speculation,” and he added “We see no need to meet with the Americans at this stage.”
Hormuz conditions and nuclear
Araghchi told Al Jazeera that talks with Qatari mediators shortened the implementation period of Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the Qatari side proposing five days and Iran reaching a proposal that reduces it to two days. Araghchi said Iran’s conditions include lifting the sanctions imposed following the Islamabad memorandum and reducing US forces in the region, and he said Iran also demands the restoration of oil waivers and the release of all its frozen funds, including those held in Qatar. Araghchi said mediators have presented proposals concerning the nuclear dossier and Iran is reviewing them as part of the second phase.
Rouzbeh Parsi, an Iran analyst affiliated with Lund University’s Department of History and Human Rights Studies, told Al Jazeera that any progress in Friday’s talks in Tehran was most likely on “the sequencing of the first steps needed to establish the barest of trust”. Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas said there was “no remarkable flexibility in Iran’s position,” with Tehran insisting on the same demands while negotiations continue.
Readiness for escalation
Araghchi told Al Jazeera that Iran does not rule out the possibility of an attack against Iran and said, “We are prepared for all scenarios,” adding that Iran has upgraded its weaponry, addressed vulnerabilities, and tested new arms. Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, Major-General Ali Abdollahi, said in a statement on Saturday that Iran would respond to any attack with “immense force,” with no geographical limits, and that it would decide when any new war ends.
PressTV said Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei ordered senior military commanders to deliver an “immediate and impactful response without geographic limitations” to any new threat of aggression. PressTV quoted Khamenei saying, “If the enemies once again launch military or terrorist attacks, it is the armed forces of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation that will determine the time and conditions for ending them.”