Iran's nuclear program will not be discussed at the meeting in Tehran with representatives of the Mecca Pact countries, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying by Reuters. “Iran's nuclear program is not on the agenda of the meeting“, he said.
According to him, the US must first accept Tehran's conditions for a permanent end to the war that Iran says Washington is waging against the Islamic Republic.
Tehran's conditions
The Iranian proposal was conveyed to Washington through intermediaries in mid-September. It includes lifting the US blockade of Iranian ports, easing sanctions on Iranian oil exports and ceasing military action on all regional fronts.
Thus, Tehran is placing the issue of its nuclear program outside the scope of the current meeting and is linking broader talks with the US to the prior fulfillment of political and economic conditions.
Representatives of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan
High-ranking representatives of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan gathered in Tehran. The three countries are participants in the Mecca Pact, and the talks with Iranian representatives are dedicated to regional security.
The meeting is taking place against the backdrop of tensions between Iran and the US and efforts by regional countries to coordinate their positions. According to Reuters, the talks in Tehran are the first high-level contact between the Mecca Pact countries and Iran in this format.
It does not follow from Tehran's published position that the nuclear issue has been definitively removed from future negotiations. It has only been confirmed that it will not be part of the agenda of the current meeting.
Sources: bta.bg, timesofisrael.com, theprint.in