The United States has confirmed that the door is still open for wider negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program and other issues, but talks are still limited to the release of prisoners. In return, Iran challenged the United States to return to the nuclear agreement from which it withdrew.
Brian Hook, the US Special Representative for Iran, told reporters - a day after Iran released the American citizen Michael White - that US President Donald Trump left the door open to diplomacy for many years, and in the same context he met with (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un "And so we would like to see the (Iranian) regime have met our diplomacy with diplomacy."
Hook said that the US-Iranian negotiations have so far not gone beyond discussing the exchange of prisoners ’release to issues such as Iran's nuclear program.
He added that the number of American citizens detained without any crime abroad who will be released will increase, but he did not provide details of when or where this might happen.
Hook also stressed that Washington intends to stick to the tough economic sanctions policy on Tehran, in an effort to bring it to the negotiating table to raise issues, such as the nuclear program.
On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif challenged President Trump to return to the nuclear agreement.
"We have achieved humane exchange despite the efforts of your subordinates," Zarif wrote on Twitter, addressing Trump.
"We had an agreement when you took over, your advisors, most of whom have now isolated foolishness, committed it to you if you want to fix it."
On Thursday, Iran released Michael White as part of an agreement that also requires that the United States allow an American doctor of Iranian origin, Majed Taheri, to visit Iran, in an incident described as rare.
Trump wrote on Twitter on the same day, thanking Iran for White's release, saying that this shows that an agreement between the two countries is possible.
It is noteworthy that Trump withdrew in 2018 from the nuclear agreement that Iran signed with world powers, which imposes restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for lifting many international sanctions imposed on Tehran.
Since its withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, Washington has reintroduced the sanctions it imposed on Iran to strangle its oil exports as part of a policy of "maximum pressure".