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Securing national interests sole goal of talks with US: Pezeshkian
Qalibaf vows ‘crushing’ response if war resumes
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that Iran’s main goal in negotiations with the United States is merely to secure the nation’s interests through “appropriate solutions.”
President Pezeshkian made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Pakistan's Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, whose country is mediating negotiations between Tehran and Washington to end a recent US-Israeli aggression against Iran.
Referring to Iran’s distrust of the US due to repeated breaches of promise, strikes during negotiations, and the assassination of Iranian officials, Pezeshkian said that under such circumstances, Iran has entered the path of negotiations relying on “brotherly relations with friendly countries, including Pakistan,” but he said the main goal is solely to secure the interests of the Iranian nation through appropriate and suitable solutions.
“The United States will not emerge victorious in this conflict, and it will be the countries of the region and the world that suffer serious losses. The Zionist regime is the only party seeking to secure its own interests in the region through war”, Pezeshkian told Munir.
The Pakistani official, for his part, said that Israel seeks its interests in conflict and discord among Muslims, and it is seriously hostile to anyone who tries to resolve conflicts.
Munir also pointed to the negotiations between Iran and the US, saying that “fortunately, the negotiation process is progressing well”, expressing hope that the talks will reach a favorable outcome for Iran and all countries in the region as soon as possible.
Iran-US MoU
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Saturday that Tehran was in the final stages of drafting a framework for a deal with the US.
"Within a reasonable period of 30 to 60 days, the details of these points will be discussed and a final agreement will ultimately be concluded. We are currently in the process of finalizing these memoranda of understanding," he told state broadcaster IRIB.
"Our intention is first to draft a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement composed of 14 clauses," Baqaei said.
He noted "a trend towards rapprochement" with Washington but said "it does not necessarily mean that we and the United States will reach an agreement on the important issues.”
"The issue of the Strait of Hormuz is among the subjects addressed in this 14-point memorandum of understanding but more importantly, ending the piracy carried out by the United States against international navigation," said Baqaei.
He was referring to Iran’s closure of the strait following the aggression and a blockade that the US has imposed on Iranian ports.
No nuclear talks
The Iranian official added that the nuclear issue is not part of an initial framework Iran is drafting.
"At this stage, we will not discuss the details of the nuclear issue... we have decided to prioritize an urgent issue for all of us: ending the war on all fronts including Lebanon," the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
He added that the nuclear file will be "subject to separate discussions" at a later stage.
The Pakistani official also held a separate meeting with Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf who warned on Saturday of a "crushing" response if Washington resumes hostilities.
‘Crushing’ response
"Our armed forces have rebuilt themselves during the ceasefire period in such a way that if (US President Donald) Trump commits another act of folly and restarts the war, it will certainly be more crushing and bitter for the United States than on the first day of the war," Qalibaf posted on social media.
Qalibaf made the warning after meeting with Pakistan's army chief, a leading figure in international efforts to negotiate an end to the war, which broke out after the US and Israel attacked the Islamic Republic on February 28.