Iran's Araghchi says US pressure won't work after Qatar talks in Tehran

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said diplomacy could be revived only if the United States accepted that pressure did not work, after talks with Qatar's prime minister in Tehran, in a post on X on August 27.

The comment casts Iran's terms for any return to negotiations in stark form as the war with the United States and Israel nears its sixth month, with Qatar among the mediators pressing both sides back towards talks that collapsed after a June memorandum of understanding. The message also comes as Iranian officials have cautiously welcomed a move to away from war with the US as Washington continues to add further constraints on Iran's economy. 

Araghchi said he had held what he called creative discussions with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and that putting diplomacy back on track was not impossible.

He said it hinged on Washington building trust, speaking respectfully, acknowledging Iran's rights and upholding its commitments.

The Qatari visit was one of a series by regional mediators, alongside Oman and Pakistan, seeking to ease tensions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Qatar's foreign ministry said the two discussed a proposed phased framework including a temporary shipping corridor through the strait and a joint project to clear it of mines.

The exchanges came as Washington leaned harder on economic pressure in recent days, according to previous reporting by IntelliNews.

US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that Iran was a failing nation and was begging for a deal, while the White House said no negotiations were under way and that all options remained open. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran should spend money on its own population rather than on allied armed groups abroad.

The Treasury this week announced a sanctions campaign it called Operation Economic Outcast, threatening penalties on Iran's trading partners across sectors including digital assets, technology and shipping, though it held off on major new listings. Iranian officials have played down the effect.

Aragchi’s comments come as Bessent plans to discuss increasing economic pressure on Iran and imposing secondary sanctions on countries that continue to trade with Tehran at his upcoming meetings with G20 finance ministers, a US Treasury Department spokesperson told Reuters.

"This issue is expected to be raised at every bilateral meeting the Secretary holds with his G20 counterparts in the coming days. This is a critical aspect of our economic campaign against Iran, so we want to ensure that all G20 members are aligned," the spokesperson said to the agency.

The meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors will take place from 31 August to 1 September.

On August 20, Donald Trump announced the start of a large-scale economic campaign against Iran aimed at isolating it internationally.