TEHRAN — Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that the 60-day deadline for talks with the US following the June 17 memorandum of understanding “lost its relevance” after what he called “flagrant” violations by Washington.
“There is no provision in the memorandum of understanding referring to a ‘60-day deadline’, and the Islamic Republic of Iran never formulates its policies under pressure, ultimatums or time limits,” Baghaei told reporters at a weekly news conference, as cited by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The memorandum instead envisaged a 60-day period for negotiations on two issues — “the lifting of sanctions” and “the nuclear issue” — which could have been extended if no agreement was reached, he added.
“Due to the flagrant and widespread violation of the memorandum of understanding by the United States, no dialogue was started just a few weeks after its signing,” Baghaei said.
“As a result, the discussion of the 60-day deadline completely lost its relevance,” he added.
The Iranian spokesman said negotiations with Oman on a maritime transit in the Strait of Hormuz are continuing.
“Compilation of the maritime traffic route map with Oman has taken time due to the security complications caused by the actions of the US and the Israeli regime, the multiplicity of actors and the disruption of malicious currents,” he added.
Baghaei said proposed US sanctions against Iran, including a reported land blockade, would have no impact on Tehran’s position.
“These measures have no effect on Iran’s position,” Baghaei told reporters.
He accused Washington of being trapped in a “vicious cycle of war, discrimination, pressure and sanctions” dating back to the 1953 coup in Iran.
Baghaei said previous US campaigns, including “crippling sanctions” under Democratic administrations and the “maximum pressure” campaign during Trump’s first presidency, had failed.
“They cut off medicines for our people and tried every possible means of putting pressure on Iran,” he said, adding that the US ultimately “resorted to an illegal military aggression”.
“From now on as well, rest assured that such methods, methods that have been tried before and produced no results, are not going to produce a different outcome,” the spokesman said.
Source: Saudi Gazette