Iran has stated that the messages it received from the United States were "contradictory" and promised to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's message "after thorough review."
اضافة اعلان
Last week, an Emirati official carried a message from President Trump proposing talks with Tehran on its nuclear program, which Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejected, calling it a "trap" from Washington.
In a press conference on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Bagheri said that the U.S. claims it is willing to negotiate, yet at the same time imposes wide-ranging sanctions on several sectors in Iran.
The U.S. Mission to the United Nations stated on Wednesday that Washington remains committed to continuing the "maximum pressure" strategy pursued by President Donald Trump "to deny the Iranian regime the resources it uses to advance its destabilizing activities worldwide." The mission added in a statement regarding a U.N. Security Council meeting on Iran, "President Trump has made it clear that Iran's nuclear program poses a threat to international peace and security."
**"Extremely Contradictory"**
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said, "The United States has a long way to go to prove its sincerity, but the reality is that the messages from the U.S. are extremely contradictory."
Bagheri also pointed out that "while announcing readiness for negotiations and dialogue, wide-ranging sanctions are being imposed on various sectors of our trade and production."
He also criticized the sanctions on the Iranian Minister of Oil, stating, "His only crime is performing his official, legal, and national duties... He is being punished for producing and selling oil, which in no way aligns with the words of the United States."
Last week, the U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh and some Hong Kong-flagged ships that are part of a shadow fleet helping Iran conceal its oil shipments.
Bagheri considered U.S. commitment to be poorly executed, noting that over the past 10 to 15 years, the U.S. has shown it is insincere in its commitments and speaks of dialogue and negotiations only as a political, propagandistic, and psychological tool, not as a means of resolution.
Earlier this month, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stated that Iran does not expect any message from the U.S., expressing his belief that lifting sanctions is possible through strengthening Iran and neutralizing the sanctions.
Qalibaf emphasized, "It is clear that any negotiations under threats and humiliation, demanding new concessions, will not lead to the lifting of sanctions and will not achieve any result."
**Iran’s Nuclear Program**
The U.S. Mission also criticized Tehran for accelerating its production of highly enriched uranium, stating, "It is the only country in the world without nuclear weapons that produces highly enriched uranium, and it has no credible peaceful purpose behind it."
The mission recalled that the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had reported that Tehran continues its efforts to produce highly enriched uranium.
In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Bagheri said the political stances of IAEA officials and its Director General will have no positive or constructive impact on the cooperation process between Iran and the IAEA.
Bagheri referred to the visit of Gharib Abadi, Iran’s Deputy Director General for Legal and International Affairs, to Vienna, stating that the visit "is part of our continued interaction and cooperation with the agency, which is ongoing within the framework of relevant international treaties."
The Iranian official stressed, "Given the increasing threats faced by Iran's nuclear program and peaceful nuclear facilities, it is natural for us to increase consultations to study various technical and operational aspects related to these issues, and to warn of the consequences and impacts of these threats in our interactions with IAEA officials."
- Agencies
