Tehran, Aug 9 (IANS) Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Aragchi on Sunday stated that there are currently no ongoing negotiations with the United States.
The Foreign Minister’s stance came while speaking to reporters at the Centre for Political and International Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.
“We currently have no negotiations with the United States. Intermediaries are still making efforts to find ways to resume negotiations. From our perspective, there can be no resumption of talks until the United States ends its violations of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and makes amends for the breaches it has committed,” Aragchi said.
“Until the violations of the memorandum of understanding by the United States are ended and the United States does not make amends for what it has violated, in our opinion, there is no possibility of resuming negotiations,” he noted, according to Tasnim.
He also said that they are in the final stage of negotiations with Oman about determining a new sea route in the Strait of Hormuz.
Experts are working on new routes which will replace the old routes.
“Of course, this does not mean the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. This agreement may be reached, but the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is subject to a series of conditions,” the Foreign Minister emphasised.
On Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will keep pursuing the path of peace under the MoU provided that Washington helps build an atmosphere of trust.
Iran is trying to move on the “path of peace” based on the “paragraphs” in the MoU, Pezeshkian said at a press conference, adding: “Now is the best time to reach an agreement, as there is solidarity, power and unity in the country.”
“We are determined to … use the MoU as the basis provided that the United States lets go of the atmosphere of distrust it has created, and an atmosphere of trust is formed,” he said.
–IANS
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