Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei accused US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of distorting historical facts after the American diplomat said that Iran missed several opportunities to reach an agreement with Washington on its nuclear program.
Rubio made the statement during his visit to Athens. He said that Tehran had not taken advantage of “numerous opportunities“ to reach an agreement and reiterated the position of President Donald Trump's administration that Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons.
“Distorting historical facts cannot erase from public consciousness the reality of the repeated violations of the commitments made by the United States“, Baghaei said.Tehran cited withdrawal from the nuclear agreement
The Iranian spokesman cited the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018 as an example. According to him, Washington undermined diplomatic processes and took military action against Iran while negotiations were underway.
Bagaei also blamed the US for the ongoing insecurity in the region, as well as for the economic consequences, which he said are affecting the US and the global economy. These statements are the position of the Iranian Foreign Ministry and are not accompanied by a new joint statement by Washington and Tehran on the reasons for the failure of the negotiations.
Iran will respond through mediators
Bagaei's statement comes amid diplomatic efforts to limit tensions between Iran and the United States. He said that Tehran's response to American proposals to end the conflict would be delivered through mediators, without specifying a specific deadline.
Separately, Bagaeei reported progress in talks with Oman to restore shipping security through the Strait of Hormuz. According to him, the two sides have agreed on geographical coordinates for safe routes for ships to enter and exit and have reached an understanding on how this agreement should be presented to a competent international organization.
Rubio has not commented publicly on Bagaeei's accusation of distorting historical facts. However, the US Secretary of State confirmed in Athens that Washington continues to view Iran's nuclear program as a major security issue and insists that Tehran not obtain a nuclear weapon.
Sources: aa.com.tr, rferl.org, avash.news