Iran says no talks underway with US, sets conditions for future negotiations

AA - Iran said Monday that it is not currently engaged in negotiations with the US and that any future talks would depend on Washington changing its conduct.

Addressing a press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei dismissed reports that Tehran had sought negotiations with the US.

“That does not accord with our principles. Claims that Iran has requested negotiations are merely reports,” Baqaei said in his comments carried by the semi-official Mehr news agency.

He said Iran has consistently viewed diplomacy as a tool for safeguarding its interests.

“We have never hesitated to use diplomatic tools to protect our national interests. We consider diplomacy a means of protecting Iran's national interests,” he said.

While acknowledging that mediators may be conveying messages between the two sides, Baqaei said: “At the present time, we are not conducting any negotiations with the American side.”

Asked about Iran's conditions for starting negotiations, Baqaei said the US “must first demonstrate more responsible behavior.”

“The United States must learn how to behave like a responsible government,” he said, accusing Washington of acting “like a mafia gang” over the past one to two years by disregarding international law.

“As long as this behavior continues, we cannot hope to create a favorable public atmosphere,” he added.

On Sunday, Iranian military spokesperson Amir Mohammad Akraminia said the US had halted its attacks over the previous two days and that Iran's "counter-operations" had also stopped.

According to an Axios report on Saturday, US President Donald Trump had directed the US military not to launch new strikes on Iran, ending nearly two weeks of daily attacks.

​​​​​​​Tensions between the US and Iran have intensified in recent weeks, with Washington carrying out attacks on Iran and Tehran responding by targeting what it said were US military facilities and equipment in countries across the region.