ANTALYA: No date has been set for the next round of Iran-US peace talks brokered by Pakistan following the failure of an initial round, Iran's deputy foreign minister said on Saturday. "Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set a date," Saeed Khatibzadeh told journalists on the sidelines of an annual diplomatic forum in Türkiye's southern Antalya province. "We hope that as soon as we can finalise that, then we can move on to the next step".
Khatibzadeh said both sides were currently focused on finalising a framework of understanding before proceeding with further negotiations.
"We do not want to enter into any negotiation or meeting that is destined to fail and could serve as a pretext for another round of escalation," he said. "I can assure you that Iran is very much committed to diplomacy."
Iran dismissed US threats of fresh military action, with the senior Iranian official saying that Washington's statements were inconsistent. "The American side tweets a lot, talks a lot. Sometimes confusing, sometimes, you know, contradictory," Khatibzadeh said, referring to US President Donald Trump and his frequent social media posts. "It is up to the American people to decide whether these statements are consistent and in accordance with international law," he added.
Khatibzadeh said Iran's position was clear and vowed resistance to pressure from Washington. "What we are going to do is quite clear. We will defend heroically and patriotically (our country)... as the oldest civilisation on earth," he said. The deputy minister also rejected US accusations that Iran was threatening freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments, after Iran's military again declared the waterway closed. "Americans cannot impose their will to do a siege over Iran while Iran, with good intention, is trying to facilitate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz," Khatibzadeh said.
He said Iran had announced safe passage for commercial vessels for the duration of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, provided there was prior coordination with Iranian maritime authorities. However, Khatibzadeh accused Washington of attempting to "sabotage" those efforts. "If ceasefire terms are violated and Americans do not honour their commitments, there will be repercussions for them," he said. — Reuters
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