The United States and Iran are not holding talks to extend the ceasefire because, from Tehran's perspective, the agreement has no start date and therefore there is nothing to extend, a senior official of the Islamic Republic told Reuters, BTA reports.
He expressed this position after the Anadolu Agency reported, citing Pakistani government sources, that Tehran and Washington had agreed to a 60-day extension of the ceasefire that came into effect in accordance with the interim agreement signed in June.
This document provides for an "immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts", but the negotiations quickly fell apart after US President Donald Trump said on July 7 that everything is “over“, Reuters notes.
A week later, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that the interim agreement “has been cancelled“.
“There is no question of an extension because from Iran's point of view, there is no period that has started, and therefore there is nothing to extend. The United States violated the interim agreement 48 hours after it was concluded and withdrew from it a few days later“, the senior Iranian official explained to Reuters.
The interim agreement signed in June provided for negotiations to be held within a 60-day period to reach a final deal, including curbs on Tehran's nuclear program and the lifting of US sanctions. The negotiation period could also be extended.
There were a number of requirements, the fulfillment of which was considered a necessary prerequisite for the start of the next stage of negotiations. The conditions included a ceasefire in Lebanon, guaranteeing free shipping in the Persian Gulf and allowing exceptions to allow Iran to sell its oil despite sanctions.
“One of the issues being discussed through intermediaries is the return of the United States to the interim agreement and setting a timetable for implementing the commitments made. There has been absolutely no progress on that point,“ the source told Reuters.