After speculation intensified about Tehran and Washington’s inclination to halt attacks and hold renewed negotiations, Esmaeil Baghaei, the spokesperson of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Sunday: “The Americans are exchanging messages, but our priority is defending territorial integrity, sovereignty, and protecting the people of Iran.”

Mr. Baghaei, in remarks published on Sunday night by Iranian news agencies, emphasized: “Let’s not forget that this is the third time in the past year that such an event happens. The two previous times too, while we were negotiating, we were targeted by attacks from the United States and Israel.”

He, referring to the provisions of the Islamabad understandings, again accused the United States of violating them, and said: “This memorandum of understanding leaves no room for ambiguity and is not subject to different interpretations. What the United States did was an explicit and blatant violation of various provisions of this agreement, and for the third time diplomacy was betrayed. This time as well, after the memorandum of understanding was signed—by the personal approval of the U.S. president—they violated the same agreement.”

📷 ISNA