Iran: No date for new talks with US

TT

Updated 15.59 | Published 15.08

           

          Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh says there is no set date for a new round of                    peace talks with the US. Photo: Riza Ozel /AP/TT

No date has been set for the next round of peace talks between Iran and the US, Iran's deputy foreign minister said, adding that Iran will not hand over enriched uranium.

The announcement contradicts Donald Trump's statements that the talks would resume this weekend.

- Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set a date, Saeed Khatibzadeh told journalists in connection with an annual diplomatic forum in Antalya, Turkey on Saturday, according to AFP.

According to Khatibzadeh, both sides are now focusing on finalizing a memorandum of understanding before moving forward with further negotiations.

– We do not want to start any negotiations or meetings that are doomed to fail and that could serve as a pretext for a new escalation, he says, calling the American stance “maximalist.”

No uranium to the US

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US and Iran are “very close” to a peace agreement and that representatives of the two countries would meet over the weekend and on Monday.

At the same time, he claimed that Iran had also agreed to take Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium out of the country – something that has been denied by Iran and now again by Khatibzadeh:

– I can tell you that no enriched material will be sent to the US, he says in an interview with the AP.

– This is an impossibility, and I can assure you that even though we are ready to address the concerns we have, we will not accept things that are impossible, Khatibzadeh continues.

Stranded negotiations

Last weekend, delegations from the US and Iran were in Pakistan for peace talks in the capital Islamabad. However, US Vice President JD Vance left the negotiations after less than a day, without any agreement being reached.

On Saturday, Iran also announced that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again. The “strict control” that Iran claims to have established in the strait is said to be in effect until the US allows ships to sail to and from Iran.