Iran defended a proposal on Monday to restart peace talks in as few as two days as the most reasonable offer on the table, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called some of Iran’s conditions “outrageous and ridiculous.“
“Is it unreasonable that Iran demands that US illegal sanctions and its naval blockade must be lifted before negotiations start and that the war should end on all fronts?” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a weekly press conference in response to Rubio’s remarks.
Iran has made the offer to shorten the time to restart talks from an earlier seven-day proposal, which calls for Washington to first meet conditions including halting hostilities, lifting a blockade and waiving sanctions.
Baghaei also said US pressure on Iraq to close most of its borders with Iran should not affect bilateral ties with Baghdad, after Iraq’s foreign minister said Washington was pushing for such a move.
Baghaei dismissed a US military task force aimed at restricting Iran’s land trade as a diversion following President Donald Trump’s Republicans’ losses in midterm elections.
Trump administration favors diplomatic solution, Iran strikes on the table
Speaking to reporters ahead of his departure for France to attend a meeting of G7 foreign ministers, Rubio said, “I have no progress to report. There are several countries that continue to engage with Iran and put forward various ideas, but I would not say that we are on the verge of a breakthrough.”
Rubio said US President Donald Trump continues to favor a diplomatic solution, but acknowledged that Iranian demands remain a major obstacle to reaching an agreement.
Rubio also addressed the possibility of additional US strikes on Iran, saying Washington would act if American forces or shipping in the region came under threat.
Idan Kweller contributed to this report.
