Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that a "just, fair, and equitable" nuclear agreement with the United States remains achievable in the short term, provided Washington abandons its policy of coercion.
In an interview with CNN, Araghchi underscored Iran's desire to avoid war, noting that Iran is engaging with regional partners and utilizing intermediaries to maintain communication with the United States, which has shown some progress.
Although both sides have confirmed they are in contact, neither has taken concrete steps to de-escalate the situation, sending mixed signals -- expressing openness to talks while remaining prepared for conflict.
"Unfortunately, we have lost our trust (in) the United States as a negotiating partner," but the exchange of messages through friendly countries in the region was facilitating "fruitful" talks with the United States, Araghchi said.
He further noted that if the U.S. negotiators act in line with what President Donald Trump has envisioned, an equitable deal on Iran's nuclear program could be possible, potentially within a short timeframe.
Araghchi also reaffirmed Iran's openness to cooperation with American companies and stressed that the primary obstacle lies in U.S. sanctions.
A senior U.S. official said the Trump administration had told Iran through multiple channels that it's open to meeting to negotiate a deal, according to a report on Sunday by Axios, an American news website.
White House officials said Trump had not made a final decision on a strike against Iran and remained open to a diplomatic solution, said the report.
Regional countries such as Turkey, Egypt and Qatar are working to organize a meeting between White House envoy Steve Witkoff and senior Iranian officials in Ankara later this week, two sources told Axios.
The three countries, which worked with the U.S. government on the Gaza ceasefire deal, aim to prevent the escalation of regional conflict by encouraging U.S.-Iran negotiations. Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri issued a written statement on Sunday, warning Iranians to remain vigilant against "hybrid warfare and toxic propaganda" amid heightened tensions.
The IRGC on Saturday roundly rejected rumors of the assassination of Tangsiri.
In a statement on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said the rumor was spread by an Israeli social media account, identified as Terror Alarm, describing the account as "the operational arm of (Israel's intelligence agency) Mossad in psychological warfare."
It added that the account has a track record of spreading rumors about security and military areas and had earlier claimed that Commander of the IRGC Quds Force Esmaeil Qaani had been assassinated.
According to Sepah News, the Terror Alarm's rumor-spreading makes more sense, given Trump's psychological operation through sending warship fleets to the West Asia region over the past few days.
"Just, fair, equitable" nuclear deal with US remains achievable: Iranian FM
