Muscat Negotiations: Tehran Adheres to its Red Lines and Trump Activates the Tariff Weapon

The National Security Committee of the Iranian Parliament affirmed that Tehran 'has not and will not back down' from its red lines, following an indirect round of negotiations yesterday, Friday, between the United States and Iran in the Sultanate of Oman. Ibrahim Rezaei, a member of the presidium of the National Security Committee of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, wrote on the 'X' platform: 'The Islamic Republic has not backed down from its red lines and will not back down from them.'

Rezaei added that 'after the failure of all their other military, economic, terrorist, and other options, Americans today have no choice but to accept the legitimate frameworks and rights of the Iranian people.'

These statements by the Iranian official come after US President Donald Trump praised 'very good' talks with Iran on Friday, confirming that the two sides would meet again 'early next week.' Trump considered that the results of the current discussions might surprise many, saying: 'If the Iranians had presented their current offer at the beginning of the negotiations a year ago, my administration would have accepted it.'

Trump added: 'I will not allow Iran to possess a nuclear weapon, and if we could have achieved that agreement two years ago, we would have completed the deal. But the Iranians did not want to do that, and they are currently in agreement, and they are ready to offer more than they were willing to offer a year and a half ago.'

In this context, sources in Tehran stated that the negotiations did not involve any contentious discussion points regarding the technical aspects of the Iranian nuclear program. The sources clarified that future sessions are expected to include legal and technical experts specializing in nuclear matters, which will confirm whether the negotiation process will continue in its positive trajectory or not.

Despite his positive statements, the US President increased pressure on Iran yesterday, Friday, by using the tariff weapon. Trump issued an executive order imposing a 25 percent tariff on imports from any country that 'directly or indirectly' purchases goods from Iran, in implementation of his threat issued last month.

According to the text, which comes into effect today, Saturday, additional tariffs can be imposed 'on products imported into the United States that are produced by any country that directly or indirectly purchases or imports or otherwise obtains goods or services from Iran.'

Secretary of State Marco Rubio should determine the percentage these tariffs could reach, while the decree stipulated that they could be 'for example' 25 percent, a percentage mentioned by the US President in mid-January.

These tariffs will affect trade with a number of countries, including Russia, Germany, Turkey, and the UAE. According to World Trade Organization data, more than a quarter of Iran's trade activity in 2024 was with China.

The White House did not specify whether the issuance of a decree regarding these tariffs was linked to the negotiations that took place on Friday in the Sultanate of Oman. These are the first talks since the United States launched strikes last June on key sites of the Iranian nuclear program during the twelve-day aggression initiated by Israel against Iran.

After the failure of all their other military, economic, and terrorist options, Americans today have no choice but to accept the legitimate frameworks and rights of the Iranian people.