Iran says US talks ‘meaningless’ until 7 conditions met as Qatari mediators arrive in Tehran
Qatari mediators arrived in Tehran on Sunday as efforts continued to ease regional tensions in coordination with the United States, Reuters reported, citing an official briefed on the situation. However, Iran has indicated that negotiations with Washington cannot move forward unless its previously stated conditions are accepted.Abbas Gouzardi, spokesman for the speaker of Iran’s parliament, said talks with the US would serve no purpose until Tehran’s seven conditions were met.
Speaking to the state-linked ISNA news agency, he described US President Donald Trump’s recent warnings of possible further attacks as “boasting with the aim of threatening”.“The Islamic Republic of Iran has announced its seven conditions, and until these conditions are met negotiations will be meaningless,” Gouzardi said.He also accused Washington of seeking to deprive Iran of its nuclear capacity and control over the Strait of Hormuz to ease pressure on itself.
Trump weighs deal or renewed military actionTrump has said a decision is approaching on whether to reach an agreement with Tehran or resume attacks, amid growing Iranian and Houthi threats against Americans in the Middle East.“I have a decision to make: Do I finish it off, which would be very easy to do, or do I make a deal? That’s all,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ *Sunday Morning Futures*.
“We don’t play games.”US strikes ‘may’ resumeTrump has suggested that US strikes on Iran could resume after the November 3 midterm elections. He has also deployed additional military assets towards the Persian Gulf, including a third aircraft carrier group.The developments come as diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz remain stalled.(With inputs from agencies)
