Negotiations between Iran and the US can only be successful if they are conducted without pressure and threats, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at the Commonwealth of Independent States summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
“Dialogue has meaning and a chance of success only if it is based on mutual respect and mutual commitments and if it is not subjected to any pressure or threats“, Pezeshkian said. He added: “Negotiations conducted under the threat of force are not negotiations.“
The Iranian president also said that sanctions against his country are harming trade, energy and regional order. His statement comes days after he described talks with Washington as “pointless” and accused the US of committing murders, imposing sanctions, exerting pressure and not respecting its commitments.
The dispute over the Strait of Hormuz remains at the center
More than seven months after the start of the conflict between Iran, the US and Israel, negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain stalled, notes Agence France-Presse. The two sides reached a ceasefire in April, signed a memorandum of understanding in June and held talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.
The main dispute remains the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant part of the world's oil trade passes. In late September, Iran offered to open it within seven days if the US largely lifted economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
President Donald Trump rejected the offer but did not rule out the possibility of continuing indirect talks. Meanwhile, Washington has stepped up sanctions pressure with new measures against Iran's aviation sector.
There has been a relative lull on the ground in recent weeks. According to Agence France-Presse, the US has not carried out strikes on Iran since September 1, but ships continue to be targeted in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran and Washington's positions remain different on both the issue of sanctions and the conditions for resuming negotiations.
Sources: bta.bg, nampa.org, apnews.com