Iran says exchange of messages with US continues through mediators

Tehran: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the United States is exchanging messages with Iran through mediators, including Pakistan and Qatar, according to Iranian media reports, citing his remarks in an interview with Austrian broadcaster ORF.

Baghaei stressed in the interview that for any dialogue to be formed, the “proper ground” must be prepared, noting that the United States has destroyed such a ground, Xinhua news agency reported quoting Iranian media.

He accused Washington of violating “all its provisions” in practice under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States.

The spokesman said Iran’s current priority “is to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and protect its people against the war crimes that are being perpetrated by the United States.”

Under the MoU signed on June 18, the United States and Iran were scheduled to hold talks within a period of 60 days to reach a final agreement, but the talks’ fate is hanging in the balance following renewed clashes between the two over the past two weeks.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that Iran was seeking talks with Washington but insisted Tehran would never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, using the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to reiterate his administration’s position on one of its top foreign policy priorities.

“They are talking to us right now. They’d love to make a deal,” Trump said.

“I don’t think they’re ready to. I don’t think it’s time yet. But I’m willing to listen.”

He said the United States would not compromise on Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “They cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

“We don’t want to see Washington D.C. or any of our cities or Israel or, frankly, the Middle East destroyed with a nuclear weapon.”

“And they would use it if they had it.”

Trump also claimed recent US military action had significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities, although he offered no evidence during his remarks.

“We’ve hit Iran very hard,” he said, adding that Iran’s navy and air force were “gone” and claiming the country had lost “250 jets”, “159 boats”, radar systems and much of its drone capability. “They don’t have much left,” he said.

The President described preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon as the central objective of US policy.

–IANS