Tehran (TDI): Iran on Tuesday warned that external pressure could undermine diplomatic efforts, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for talks in Washington that are expected to centre on US negotiations with Tehran.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said the responsibility for negotiations lies with the United States, urging Washington to act independently.
“Our negotiating counterpart is the United States, and it is for America to decide whether it will resist pressures and destructive influences that harm the region,” Baqaei said. He accused Israel of repeatedly acting as a spoiler, arguing that the “Zionist regime has consistently opposed any diplomatic process in the region that could lead to peace.”
Tehran and Washington resumed talks in Muscat on Friday, months after earlier negotiations broke down following Israel’s unprecedented strikes on Iran last June, which escalated into a 12-day conflict.
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During the fighting, Israeli forces targeted senior Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists, nuclear facilities and residential areas. The United States later joined the campaign, carrying out its own strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and also struck the largest US military base in the Middle East, located in Qatar.
Referring to last June’s conflict, Baqaei said Iran had drawn lessons from what he described as a “very bad experience” and was now determined to protect its national interests through diplomacy.
He reiterated that Iran’s engagement with the US would remain limited to the nuclear issue, in exchange for sanctions relief, stressing that Tehran rejects talks that go beyond that scope.
On Saturday, Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli prime minister believes any agreement must also address Iran’s ballistic missile program and what he described as Tehran’s support for allied groups in the region.
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The renewed talks come after Washington issued warnings and deployed a US aircraft carrier group to the region, following Iran’s crackdown on anti-government protests last month.
Iranian officials say the demonstrations, which began in late December over rising living costs, initially started peacefully but later turned violent, with authorities blaming the unrest on foreign interference by the United States and Israel.
