Iran says not currently in talks with US
Iran's Foreign Ministry on Monday said it was not currently involved in negotiations with the United States, despite a halt in recent fighting between the two sides.
"Mediators may convey messages from the American side to us regarding current developments in the region. But at present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the United States," ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a weekly press briefing.
"Claims that Iran has requested negotiations are fabrications that the other side circulates from time to time," he added.
Hostilities resumed between Iran and the United States earlier this month after diplomatic efforts collapsed following the US violations of a peace agreement reached between the two countries in Islamabad.
Fighting has nonetheless paused since early Saturday, following 13 days of exchanges of fire between the two sides.
Baqaei criticized the US, saying its conduct in recent years has "resembled that of a mafia gang that adheres to no rules or laws".
"So as long as such behavior by the United States continues, we cannot be hopeful about the emergence of a reasonable process," he added.
Baqaei also said that diplomatic channels between Iran and the US remain open, but Tehran's overriding priority under current conditions is defending its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and people against the ongoing US war crimes.
"They, the Americans, are exchanging messages," he said in an interview with Austrian public broadcaster ORF.
"But for Iran, the priority under current conditions is defending our sovereignty, territorial integrity, and protecting our people against the war crimes the United States is committing."
He recalled that Iran had entered negotiations in good faith and succeeded in reaching a Memorandum of Understanding on ending the war on all fronts.
"But what happened was that the United States, from the very first days, shirked its obligations under various pretexts," he said.
Under Article 5 of the MoU, Baqaei explained, a 30-day period was envisaged for restoring commercial shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war conditions.
Iran, he said, fulfilled all its obligations to facilitate safe passage of vessels.
However, on the 21st or 22nd day after signing, the United States launched "a massive military aggression against Iran on the pretext of incidents against commercial shipping in the Strait."
Mediation efforts by regional countries have reportedly continued to bring Tehran and Washington back to the negotiating table as the recent lull in fighting has revived hopes of a return to talks.
According to AP, a regional official involved in the mediation efforts said that concerted diplomacy was underway and that a pause in the strikes was a “positive signal that helps their efforts to de-escalate.”
The official said that both the US and Iran want to return to the interim ceasefire deal and that a compromise, which is being negotiated now, centers around having Iran run vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz with fewer restrictions on ships. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Iran said on Sunday it has halted retaliatory attacks against US after Washington stopped its strikes on the country for the past two nights.