New Delhi: Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, stated at a weekly press briefing on Monday that Tehran was not currently engaged in any talks with the US.
His remarks contradicted claims made by Donald Trump the previous night, when the US president had said that talks with Iran would take place the following day.
Baghaei clarified that Iran had no plans to receive an American delegation or send one of its own. He added that Iran’s current diplomatic focus was on negotiations with Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to Iranian state television, he said the two sides were working toward an understanding on a route that would be acceptable to both – neither strictly northern nor southern – one that would respect the sovereign rights of both nations while protecting Iran’s national interests and security.
On Sunday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had decided to hold off on ordering fresh American strikes against Iran after being urged to do so by Gulf allies Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
He described a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during which he had asked whether the Saudis would prefer a strike or a deal, and was told that a deal was strongly preferred, since the outcome of further attacks could not be predicted.
Separately, an officer within US Central Command’s intelligence branch had circulated a message to a wide group of military analysts, seeking new and unconventional methods to pressure Iran. The message was sent on Wednesday, days before Trump’s strike threat and subsequent reversal following his call with the Saudi crown prince.
Iranian state media reported that two men, identified as Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat, were executed on Monday on espionage charges linked to alleged cooperation with Israel. According to guardian.com, the two were accused of passing Israel the coordinates of military and security sites, along with images and other information, during the conflict that began on 28 February as well as during last summer’s brief war.
Human Rights Watch reported last month that Iran has executed at least 50 people over the past four months on vague national security charges, including several individuals aged 18 and 19. The rights group also noted that Iranian authorities killed thousands of protesters in January while suppressing a period of nationwide unrest.
