Iran pursuing talks ‘in good faith’ but views US with ‘deep suspicion’: Spokesman

Iran is pursuing negotiations with the United States “in good faith” despite viewing Washington with “deep suspicion,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said, confirming that multiple rounds of messages have been exchanged through Pakistani intermediaries based on Tehran’s 14-point peace proposal.

Esmaeil Baghaei made the comment in a televised interview on Wednesday night as he was elaborating on the latest developments regarding talks between Iran and the US aimed at ending the war.

He said Iran has received the American side’s viewpoints and is reviewing them, adding, “The presence of the Pakistani interior minister [in Tehran] aims to facilitate these exchanges of views.”

Pezeshkian reviews Iran-US talks in fresh meeting with Pakistani minister

Iranian president discusses latest developments on Iran-US talks in meeting with Pakistani interior minister.

At this stage, he noted, Iran only focuses on putting an end to the war in “all fronts, including Lebanon”.

"Our demands are clear: the issue related to the release of Iran's frozen assets, issues related to maritime piracy, and the harassing actions they are taking against the shipping of the Islamic Republic of Iran. These are issues that have been declared very clearly since the beginning,” the Iranian spokesperson emphasized.

Baghaei once again affirmed Iran’s complete goodwill and seriousness in the talks with the US, saying the American side should prove its seriousness.

He added that Tehran is negotiating with Washington in an atmosphere of deep distrust and suspicion, given its “very bad” record over the past 1.5 years.

But at the same time, Baghaei reiterated, Iran is pursuing negotiations with the US “with all our might and in complete good faith.”

“Our eyes are open, and our Armed Forces are vigilant because we absolutely cannot have the slightest trust or goodwill toward the opposing side,” he explained.

‘We will make the enemy regret’: Qalibaf warns US seeking new round of war

Qalibaf said that although hostilities have ceased on the battlefields for about a month, the enemy has not abandoned its military objectives.

He dismissed claims about setting an ultimatum or deadline by the US for Iran as "ridiculous", emphasizing that Tehran pursues its own interests regardless of such threatening behaviors and pressures.

“We are focused on pursuing our interests and our rights regardless of threatening rhetoric. Therefore, such things definitely do not work with the Islamic Republic of Iran. We are doing our own thing,” Baghaei said.

Iran on Monday submitted its latest proposal in 14 points through the Pakistani intermediary for talks with the United States aimed at ending the illegal US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic.

According to reports, the proposal was focused on the subject of the negotiations and confidence-building measures by the American side after Washington sent a text in response to Iran’s previous proposal, which was also presented in 14 points.

Tehran maintains that at the current stage, negotiations will only focus on ending the war in the region and that other issues, including the nuclear program, may be discussed later.

Araghchi's New York visit 

Elsewhere in his interview, Baghaei pointed to a likely visit by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to New York to take part in a meeting of the United Nations Security Council initiated by China

“It is a regular meeting that China, as the rotating president of the Security Council in May, has organized, and its topic focuses on promoting international peace and security based on the principles of the United Nations Charter,” the spokesman explained.

He added that the meeting is scheduled to be held at the foreign ministerial level next week and Iran has been invited to participate in it.

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