Takht-Ravanchi was briefing the Parliament’s Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy on Sunday on the third round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States held in the Omani capital of Muscat a day earlier.
The third round of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington was led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff. Earlier in the day, technical-level talks between Iranian and American experts also took place in Muscat.
Michael Anton, the State Department’s head of policy planning, led Washington’s expert-level delegation, while Iranian Deputy Foreign Ministers Kazem Gharibabadi and Takht-Ravanchi led Tehran’s team. The expert-level discussions focused on details of expectations and demands.
According to Ebrahim Rezaei, the parliamentary committee’s spokesman, Takht-Ravanchi said during the meeting that the negotiating team has never held discussions about its redlines, and the talks were restricted to the nuclear case.
Takht-Ravanchi explained that the Saturday talks in Muscat focused on building confidence about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of all sanctions.
During the session, Rezaei stated, it was emphasized that oil, petrochemical, gas, shipping, financial and banking sanctions must be lifted and that Iran’s resources and assets abroad must be released.
The participants also stressed the importance of lifting all trade, industrial, mining, transportation and insurance bans and terminating sanctions on institutions and individuals, he added.
He emphasized that Iran’s nuclear case in the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors must be closed.
The Iranian lawmaker reiterated the Parliament’s support for any measure that would serve national interests, security and dignity, saying the talks must guarantee the country’s interests and security.
“Another issue emphasized in this meeting was that if the snapback mechanism is activated, we will activate our own levers, one of which is withdrawal from the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty),” Rezaei continued.
The so-called snapback mechanism allows for the return of the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions against Iran suspended under the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The lawmaker also quoted Takht-Ravanchi as saying that Iran insists on improving cooperation with China and Russia and has high-level relations with them.
The deputy foreign minister stressed the need to pass a strategic partnership treaty with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a law ratifying a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Iran for closer cooperation in trade, defense, energy, and regional infrastructure projects.
The pact, signed by Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, has a duration of twenty years and establishes the legal framework for long-term cooperation in various sectors, including defense, energy, industry, agriculture, finance, transportation, science, culture, and technology.
