Abbas Araghchi on Monday described the United States’ “contradictory and excessive behaviours” as a major obstacle to diplomacy, amid ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to the West Asia conflict.
According to Iran’s ISNA news agency, Araghchi made the remarks during a meeting with Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran. The two leaders discussed bilateral ties as well as the status of ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States.
Araghchi said Iran remains deeply suspicious of the US establishment due to what he described as repeated breaches of promises in the past.
The development comes after Tehran reportedly shared a fresh 14-point diplomatic proposal with Washington through Islamabad. According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, the proposal aims “to end the war and build trust” among all parties involved.
Meanwhile, Masoud Pezeshkian defended Tehran’s decision to engage in direct negotiations with the US, saying talks conducted “with dignity” were necessary while stressing that Iran would continue to defend its national rights.
“It is not logical to say that we will not negotiate,” Pezeshkian said during a public event in Tehran, according to ISNA.
The diplomatic push comes even as Donald Trump continues to pressure Tehran with warnings of possible military action. Trump said on Monday that he had temporarily delayed a planned attack on Iran following requests from Gulf nations including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.
“I put it (attack on Iran) off for a little while, hopefully maybe forever,” Trump said, adding that there were “very big discussions” underway with Iran and that Gulf allies believed a deal could be close.
