Tehran, April 20 (IANS) Citing “contradictory actions” from Washington, Iran on Monday made it clear that it has not made any decision yet on participating in the next round of negotiations with the US.
“So far, we have not made any decisions regarding the next round of negotiations,” said Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, while speaking to reporters at a weekly press conference in Tehran.
The spokesperson criticised the United States, accusing Washington of engaging in contradictory actions while claiming to pursue diplomacy. He mentioned that since the very beginning of the ceasefire, “bad faith and constant complaints” were faced by Iran from Washington.
He clarified that the US initially claimed that Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire, despite contrary assertions.
According to semi-official Tasnim news agency, Baqaei added that even after an understanding was reached, Iran encountered “maritime actions in the Strait of Hormuz”, including a US attack on an Iranian trade vessel on Sunday night, which he described as a violation of the ceasefire and “an act of aggression”.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump said that the US forces had intercepted and taken custody of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to bypass the US blockade in the Gulf of Oman.
Baqaei emphasised that Iran’s mistrust towards the entire process will only deepen with the inconsistency and added that Tehran will make the necessary decisions about the future path with careful consideration of its national interests.
He also mentioned that the US had “betrayed diplomacy twice” and attacked Iran’s sovereignty and assets, and that “very costly experience” of the past year cannot be ignored by Iran.
Baqaei noted that the country must remain cautious of the enemy’s plots even with diplomatic tracks, and “all components of Iran are vigilantly monitoring any process”.
–IANS
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