On the local day of the 2nd, the Iranian foreign minister had a phone call with the Dutch foreign minister to discuss bilateral relations as well as regional and international situations.
The Iranian foreign minister emphasized that Iran is firmly committed to promoting a peaceful nuclear program in accordance with international law and reiterated that Iran is as always willing to conduct genuine and indirect negotiations on an equal footing. However, achieving this goal requires creating a constructive atmosphere and avoiding practices based on threats, intimidation, and blackmail.
The Iranian foreign minister stated that the threatening remarks of US officials towards Iran are unacceptable. They not only violate the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law but also complicate the current situation. He warned that Iran will respond quickly and resolutely to any infringement on Iran's territorial and sovereignty integrity and national interests.
Previously on the 1st, the Iranian side reiterated that under no circumstances will it seek, produce, or acquire nuclear weapons.
On March 31st, an advisor stated that in the nuclear issue, it was the US president who broke the Iran nuclear deal. And if the US makes mistakes, Iran will be forced to move towards manufacturing nuclear weapons.
An analysis pointed out that the statements of Iranian high - level officials essentially emphasize that Iran has no "subjective intention" to develop and possess nuclear weapons. The statement about Iran possibly being forced to possess nuclear weapons under certain conditions also shows that Iran has no intention of having nuclear weapons subjectively. Compared with the official statement, the advisor emphasized more the warning to the US and the West. He specifically mentioned that if the US takes extremely hostile actions against Iran, it may force Iran to adopt a reciprocal policy.
Early in March, the US president said he had written a letter to the Iranian supreme leader, urging Iran to negotiate with the US on giving up the nuclear weapons development plan. On March 30th, the Iranian president said that a reply letter had been sent to the US through Oman, rejecting direct negotiations with the US but keeping indirect negotiations open.
On the 2nd, a US news website reported that the US government is "seriously considering" the proposal of conducting indirect negotiations with Iran on the nuclear issue. However, at the same time, the US has significantly increased its military forces in the Middle East in case the US president chooses to launch a military strike against Iran.
On the 1st, the US Department of Defense announced that it would deploy the "Carl Vinson" aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, increasing the number of US aircraft carrier strike groups in the region to two.
According to an Iranian news agency, on the 1st, the Iranian Ministry of Defense stated that Iran will not abandon its legitimate principles and positions, and any act of aggression and adventure will be immediately and resolutely responded to. On the same day, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that all US military bases in the Middle East are within Iran's strike range. They are sitting in "glass houses" and should avoid "throwing stones at others".
It is believed that the warning from the Iranian military is a response to the recent continuous increase of US troops in the Middle East, with a strong sense of tit - for - tat. In late March, the US military significantly increased its troops and prepared for war in the Middle East. It deployed a dual - aircraft carrier strike group in the Middle Eastern waters and B - 2 long - range strategic bombers at the military base on Diego Garcia Island in the Indian Ocean. These two deployments clearly aim to deter Iran. Facing the high - intensity military deterrence from the US, the Iranian military's tough response is to relieve the pressure and increase bargaining chips for possible future negotiations between the US and Iran. Now both sides are testing the possibility of negotiations, and the tough military stance actually cooperates with Iran's diplomatic team.
On the 1st, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Director - General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had a phone call with the Iranian foreign minister to discuss the latest situation of Iran's cooperation with the agency. The Director - General said that he might visit Iran before the end of April to hold talks on the Iran nuclear deal.
It is considered that under the current background, the interaction between Iran and the IAEA can help cool down the tense situation to some extent, but solving the problem still requires attention to the "essential issue". The IAEA has long been responsible for supervising and verifying Iran's nuclear activities. For some time, the IAEA has also accused Iran of not cooperating effectively in the verification issue. If Iran can interact with the IAEA to a certain extent, it will obviously help ease the tense atmosphere of the Iran nuclear issue. However, the essence of the Iran nuclear issue is the contradiction between the US and Iran. Whether the situation will ultimately ease or escalate fundamentally depends on the interaction between the US and Iran and the development of US - Iran relations.
