Iran's top negotiator issues blunt message to Washington
Photo: Iranian military personnel (Getty Images)
Iran has demonstrated its readiness to simultaneously engage in talks and respond to any US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by force, Reuters reports.
Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, issued a tough statement directed at the United States amid rising tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. He said Tehran intends to turn the US-imposed maritime blockade into another defeat for the "enemy."
According to Qalibaf, Iran does not intend to choose between diplomacy and military confrontation and is prepared to use both tools depending on the circumstances.
"We are not going to either just fight or just negotiate; rather, we are going to fight at our own time and negotiate at our own time," he said.
At the same time, the Iranian official stressed that Tehran's ultimate goal remains ending the war and ensuring lasting security in the region.
"Our goal is the end of the war and stable security, and we have no trust towards the opposing party," Qalibaf added.
Tehran has therefore made it clear that it does not intend to abandon the negotiating process, while also remaining ready to respond forcefully to actions by Washington that it sees as threatening its interests.
US-Iran negotiations
In early June, he hoped to reach an agreement with Iran in the near future to extend the truce and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
However, Tehran later stated that the negotiations had effectively reached a dead end.
According to Mohsen Rezaee, a military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, the main obstacle remains the issue of $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
The situation became even more complicated following a new escalation between Iran and Israel.
Iran launched a missile attack on Israel, with two ballistic missiles intercepted by air defense systems.
Afterward, Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said he would urge him to refrain from retaliating. Nevertheless, Israel carried out strikes, with explosions reported in at least three Iranian cities.
