No date has been set for the next round of negotiations between Iran and the United States, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said, noting that a framework of understanding must first be agreed before talks can move forward, Reuters reports.
The highest-level U.S.-Iran talks since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ended in Islamabad without agreement last weekend. U.S. President Donald Trump has said there would probably be more direct talks this weekend, though some diplomats noted that logistics make such a timeline unlikely, given that the talks are expected to take place in Islamabad.
“We are now focusing on finalizing the framework of understanding between two sides. We don’t want to enter into any negotiation or meeting which is doomed to fail and which can be a pretext for another round of escalation,” Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in Antalya, in southern Turkey.
“Until we agree the framework, we cannot set the date… There was significant progress made actually. But then the maximalist approach by the other side, trying to make Iran an exception from international law, prevented us from reaching an agreement,” he said, referring to U.S. demands over Iran’s nuclear program.
“I have to be very crystal clear that Iran would not accept being treated as an exception to international law. Anything that we are going to commit to will be within international regulations and international law.”
Asked about reports that Iran again closed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after its temporary reopening following a separate U.S.-brokered 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, Khatibzadeh said Iran had announced it would allow the safe passage of commercial vessels in line with the terms of the truce.
“The American side tried to sabotage that by saying that it is open except for Iranians. That was the reason we said that if you are going to violate the ceasefire terms and conditions, if Americans are not going to honor their words, there will be repercussions for them,” he said.
