Iran said it no longer considers itself bound by June 17 memorandum aimed at halting hostilities, as US strikes on Iranian military facilities near the Strait of Hormuz continued.
Iran on Wednesday dismissed United States President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that Tehran was seeking talks with Washington. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said it has “currently has no plans for negotiations” and remains focused on its defence.
He added that Tehran no longer considers itself bound by the June 17 memorandum aimed at halting hostilities, as US strikes on Iranian military facilities near the Strait of Hormuz continued.
‘No Plans For Negotiations’
Baghaei rejected Trump’s latest assertion that Iran had reached out to the United States to strike a deal, saying no such contact had taken place.
“We currently have no plans for negotiations and are focused on defence,” Baghaei said, according to Iran’s state-run Press TV.
His remarks came after Trump claimed that American negotiators had contacted Iranian representatives and urged them to make a deal. The US president also said Iran wanted to “settle so badly”, reiterating his assertion that Tehran was interested in reviving negotiations, Reuters reported.
Baghaei, however, denied that Iran had approached Washington and accused the United States of violating the first provision of a 14-point memorandum agreed on June 17, under which both sides had declared an immediate end to military operations and committed not to use force against each other.
According to the Iranian spokesperson, Tehran no longer considers itself bound by the memorandum after the US allegedly failed to honour its commitments.
He said Iran would withhold its own obligations under the memorandum of understanding as long as the other side did the same, warning that any breach would prompt reciprocal action.
“The other side has violated its commitments and broken its promises from the outset of the memorandum of understanding, and the Islamic Republic will respond proportionately both in the field and in implementing its commitments,” Baghaei said.
He further said Iran’s armed forces had repeatedly demonstrated that any action they deemed an act of aggression would be met with a reciprocal response.
Meanwhile, Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, signalled that Tehran no longer considers the agreement enforceable, saying “a memorandum of understanding only has meaning when its clauses are valid and being implemented.”
“If Iran is not to derive any benefit from the memorandum of understanding, we have no reason to adhere,” he added.
In the last few days, Trump has repeatedly claimed that Iran has reached out for talks, but Tehran has rejected each of those assertions, insisting that it is not pursuing negotiations with Washington at this stage.
The comments come as American strikes against Iranian military facilities near the Strait of Hormuz continue, further escalating tensions between the two countries.
US Launches New Wave Of Strikes On Iran
The United States launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran on Wednesday, targeting what it said were military assets used to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump also warned that Washington could expand its military campaign unless Tehran returned to negotiations.
According to US Central Command, the strikes were aimed at degrading Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels navigating the strategically important waterway.
