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Iran says 60-day peace period no longer relevant due to US violations
Iran said on Monday that the 60-day deadline envisaged in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding is no longer relevant due to the violation of the memorandum by the United States just a few weeks after it was signed.
“There is no provision in the Memorandum of Understanding referring to a ‘60-day deadline’, and that Iran never formulates its policies under pressure, ultimatums or time limits. We make decisions based on our national interests and assessments,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said during his weekly press conference.
Baqaei said the memorandum had envisaged a 60-day period for talks on two issues – “the lifting of sanctions” and “the nuclear issue”, adding that the period could have been extended if no agreement was reached.
“Due to the gross and widespread violation of the memorandum by the United States just a few weeks after it was signed, no talks were initiated,” he said.
“As a result, the issue of a 60-day period is basically no longer relevant,” Baqaei added.
Islamabad MoU
Iran and the US signed the 14-point memorandum of understanding in June to end the cycle arising from the latest bout of unprovoked American-Israeli aggression against Iran, which had begun on February 28.
They set a 60-day period to discuss further issues including sanctions imposed on Iran as well as the country’s nuclear program in order to reach a comprehensive agreement between the two countries.
However, the United States’ violation of the agreement from its very first days has effectively rendered the deal invalid.
The two sides have stopped negotiations with the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying on Saturday that Tehran is still undecided about resuming talks with the US amid disagreements about ceasefire violations and the future of the Strait of Hormuz.
Araghchi said on August 10 that Iran will not engage in new negotiations with the US as long as it keeps violating the MoU.
The 60-day period expired on Monday with no word of an extension.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Saturday described the understanding as a “document of honor and victory” aimed at consolidating Iran’s success on the diplomatic front, saying the US and Israel failed to achieve any of their objectives in the war.
Iran’s top parliamentarian said Iran “truly” won the war “militarily and politically”.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Director General for Legal Affairs Abbas Baqerpour said a breach of the memorandum did not mean the agreement had ended or was dead, leaving open the possibility of its revival if the United States takes the necessary steps.
“The violation of the memorandum, as an agreement, does not mean that the memorandum has ended or is dead. This memorandum can be revived, but this depends on the United States,” Baqerpour said.