Iran is not negotiating with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today
By Bernard Moerdler,
Iran is not negotiating with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today, with messages between the two governments passing through intermediaries. Araghchi said there is "no possibility of resuming negotiations" as long as Washington continues to violate the memorandum of understanding signed in June and does not compensate for those violations, in remarks carried by Iranian state television. He said several intermediary countries are working to rebuild the ground for talks.
Araghchi told a government meeting today that the separate negotiations with Oman on managing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz are in their final stages and on the way to being finalized, according to state news agency IRNA. He again said that an arrangement with Muscat will not itself reopen the waterway, and that the new shipping lanes it sets out would come into use only once the United States meets further conditions, according to Mehr News Agency. Those conditions were spelled out Saturday by the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, as we reported earlier.
President Trump said the United States is "only semi-negotiating" with Iran in a phone interview with Axios today, saying Washington is watching Tehran contend with high inflation and a shortage of funds. Trump said the U.S. naval blockade has worsened Iran's economic crisis and that the country lacks money to pay its soldiers, according to Axios. He said he is personally involved in the talks and predicted the standoff will resolve itself over time.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the Iranian conditions are "ridiculous and should be rejected out of hand," speaking on ABC's This Week today. Esper said the list indicates Tehran believes it holds the advantage and feels emboldened.
Topics: Iran, Strait of Hormuz, IDF
Reported by Bernard Moerdler for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.