Iran: We are not close to an agreement in negotiations with the US

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ismail Bekayi, in a statement to state television, evaluated the negotiation process with the US. Reminding that Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Nakvi are in Tehran as part of message exchanges, Bekayi said, “The ongoing diplomatic process and the presence of high-level Pakistani officials in Tehran do not mean that we have reached a turning point or a decisive situation. We cannot say that we have reached a point where an agreement is close.”

Pointing out that there are deep and numerous disagreements between Iran and the US, Bekayi emphasized that diplomacy takes time, saying, “It cannot be said that we will reach a definitive result with negotiations conducted over a few visits, a few weeks, or a few months.” Spokesperson Bekayi stated that the current focus of the negotiations is to end the war on all fronts in the region, including Lebanon, and noted that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the maritime blockade imposed by the US are still among the topics being discussed.

Bekayi noted that Iran's nuclear program and the issue of enriched uranium are not on the agenda at this stage, arguing that entering the nuclear topic would not lead the parties to a conclusion. Bekayi said, “We have been down this road before, and the disagreements were so great that we could not reach an agreement. The other side, due to its unreasonable demands, ultimately led to the collapse of the negotiation table and launched attacks on Iran,” stating that the US has made excessive demands and used every opportunity to voice these demands.