In a scathing rebuke, Iran’s top diplomat spokesperson Ismail Baghaei announced Monday that Tehran has not committed to the upcoming round of US talks, citing Washington’s tangled web of contradictory policies. Speaking at the Foreign Ministry’s routine press conference, Baghaei emphasized the lack of any final decision amid mounting distrust.
The US, he charged, talks peace but acts with malice. From the outset of the ceasefire, Iran has endured bad faith gestures and relentless grievances from American quarters. Baghaei pointed to flip-flopping on whether the Lebanon truce factored into broader agreements, sowing confusion.
Post-agreement hurdles persisted in key waterways. Iranian traders encountered blockades in the Strait of Hormuz, including a direct US strike on a commercial ship late Sunday—an act Baghaei condemned as breaching the truce and pure aggression.
This followed Trump’s revelation of a US Navy interception of an Iran-bound tanker in Omani waters, suspected of sanctions evasion. Such moves, Baghaei argued, shatter any remaining faith. Iran, he stressed, will weigh its responses with utmost prudence, safeguarding core interests.
History weighs heavy: America has twice cheated on diplomatic pledges, assaulting Iranian territory and holdings. The bitter experiences of the last year demand wariness. Even as negotiation paths remain viable, Tehran eyes adversarial schemes warily, monitoring every development closely. The ball is now in Iran’s court as bilateral relations teeter.
