Iran’s foreign minister insists there are no talks taking place with US

ISTANBUL

Iran’s foreign minister stressed Wednesday that no negotiations are taking place between his country and the US on ending the war, despite claims by the White House that talks are "ongoing" and "productive."

“There are no ongoing talks with the US,” Abbas Araghchi said in comments carried by state-run Press TV.

“The US is sending messages through different mediators. The exchange of messages via mediators does not mean negotiations,” he added.

“The fact that they are talking about negotiation now is exactly an admission of defeat,” he said.

“Didn’t they claim unconditional surrender before? So why are they now mobilizing their top officials to negotiate?”

Araghchi also said there is “evidence” that countries in the region have provided services and support to the United States, noting this is “not just our claim, but something they themselves acknowledge,” without elaborating.

He also said that regional states “did not take Iran’s warnings seriously” and have now fallen into an “abnormal situation,” urging them to “distance themselves from the United States and its aggression against Iran.”

He added that these countries “did not even condemn the attacks,” saying that the first expected step was at least a verbal condemnation.

The US and Israel have been carrying out airstrikes on Iran since Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel along with Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.