Iran denies having direct talks with US, dismisses ‘unreasonable’ demands
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, stated on Monday that Tehran has not engaged in any direct negotiations with the United States. “What we have received are messages through intermediaries indicating that the US wants to negotiate,” he told the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Baghaei criticized Washington, saying: “I wonder how many people in America take these diplomatic claims seriously. Our position is clear, unlike the other side, which keeps shifting.” He added that Iran has consistently outlined its framework, while the US proposals have been “excessive and unreasonable.”
He also addressed regional diplomacy efforts, referencing a recent meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey in Islamabad. Baghaei said, “The meetings Pakistan has convened were frameworks they established themselves, and Iran did not participate. It is good for regional countries to care about ending the war, but they should consider who started it.”
Iran Defiant
Baghaei emphasized that Iran remains focused on self-defense amid military aggression and that it is reviewing a possible exit from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which allows nuclear energy development but prohibits weapons programs.
Meanwhile, a Pakistani security official told Reuters that direct US-Iran talks are unlikely this week, though efforts continue to arrange them as soon as possible.
Trump Comments on Iran Talks
US President Donald Trump said the US and Iran have been meeting both directly and indirectly, describing Iran’s new leaders as “very reasonable.” His remarks followed Pakistan’s announcement that it would host “meaningful talks” aimed at ending the month-long Iran conflict.
“I think we’ll make a deal with them, I’m pretty sure, but it’s possible we won’t,” Trump told reporters. He also suggested that the US had already achieved a degree of regime change in Tehran after strikes killed top Iranian officials but described their replacements as “reasonable.”
In a social media post, Trump warned that if a deal is not reached and the Hormuz Strait is not “open for business,” the US could target Iran’s electric generating plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island.