‘No negotiations’ says Iran FM as U.S. touts peace plan
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has rejected U.S. overtures, saying “we do not intend to negotiate”.
“At present, our policy is the continuation of resistance”, Mr. Araghchi said on state TV, adding that the United States “speaking of negotiations now is an admission of defeat” by Washington.
Pakistani officials earlier said Islamabad had conveyed to Tehran an American 15-point plan to stop the fighting that began on February 28 with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and has since engulfed the region.
Iran state television Press TV cited an unidentified official as saying Tehran had “responded negatively” to the plan and that the war would only end on Tehran’s terms, which includes guarantees against future attacks.
“We seek an end to the war on our own terms,” Mr. Araghchi confirmed, “and in a way that it will not be repeated here again”.
Mediators in the region said work was ongoing behind the scenes, but Mr. Araghchi said the exchange of messages through “friendly countries” did not equate to negotiations with Washington.
The Iranian official quoted by Press TV said Tehran has put forward its own five conditions for hostilities to end.
These include a robust mechanism guaranteeing that neither Israel nor the U.S. will resume the war as well as compensation for war damages.
Iran’s conditions also include a cessation of hostilities on all regional fronts and against all “resistance groups”, an implicit reference to the Tehran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.
Tehran also wants international recognition and guarantees of Iran’s rights to exercise its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
– AFP
