OMM Newsroom
Iran reiterated its position on easing tensions with the United States this week. During high-level visits to Tehran by Pakistan Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, discussions covered Iran’s stance in its confrontation with the United States, particularly sanctions, the Strait of Hormuz and the country’s civilian nuclear program.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told visiting Asim Munir in Tehran on Tuesday evening that the United States must lift sanctions on Iran and end threats and pressure before talks can begin, AnewZ reported.
Pezeshkian added that Iranians do not trust the United States and fear Washington could launch another attack even if negotiations resume, according to the website of the Iranian president’s office.
Munir, who has mediated between Iran and the United States and oversaw the signing of a temporary ceasefire agreement in June, visited Tehran to accelerate de-escalation measures proposed by Qatar.
According to official sources, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told the Pakistani official that the United States had received no new message from Iran. He said Tehran could trust Washington only after it met Iran’s conditions, including its demands concerning the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Ghalibaf stressed that threats and military action would not affect Iran’s strategic decisions. “It was the United States that became bogged down because of its miscalculations and its war against Iran. It must now take the necessary steps to get out,” he said.
Earlier in the week, Pezeshkian met Lavrov in Tehran. The Iranian president told the Russian diplomat that US military bases in the region were “a source of tension, instability and insecurity.”
Nuclear program remains a point of disagreement in talks
Official statements about the meetings in Tehran indicate that the nuclear issue remains one of the main obstacles to reaching a new ceasefire agreement.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei said enriched nuclear material would not be taken out of the country. According to the WANA news agency, citing the former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, he said enriched uranium was a key national asset and would remain in Iran for domestic use.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei reiterated that position at a briefing this week. He confirmed that the nuclear issue was raised in discussions with Lavrov and denied reports that Iran had backed away from its position that its nuclear program is peaceful.
“We have absolutely not backed down from our core positions because they are in line with Iran’s national interests,” Baghaei said.
Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, rejected reports that the nuclear dispute had been discussed in diplomatic talks with Western or regional parties. He stressed that Iran’s nuclear program was not currently on the diplomatic agenda, WANA reported.
The nuclear issue also came up during the Pakistani army chief’s visit to Tehran. Munir said Iran’s position on the Strait of Hormuz and its reopening depended on the United States accepting and implementing seven conditions put forward by Iran.
