Iran says it ‘cannot accept’ US calls for negotiations as ‘war crimes’ persist

ISTANBUL

Iran said Thursday it cannot accept US calls for negotiations or ceasefire while “war crimes” are being committed against the country.

“We cannot accept that the enemy sometimes speaks about dialogue and negotiations, while at the same time we face war crimes,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in statements carried by the state news agency IRNA.

He said Iran had faced a similar situation for the second time in less than a year, adding that Tehran had been engaged in a diplomatic process and negotiated seriously and “in good faith.”

Baghaei said the talks appeared close to producing an agreement, citing the latest round of US-Iran nuclear talks that concluded in Geneva under Omani mediation in late February, where both sides had described the atmosphere as serious and constructive.

“But the US and Israel carried out military attacks while negotiations were underway,” he added.

“We were in the middle of negotiations and they committed this crime,” he said.

The spokesman said Iran cannot ignore such experiences or accept calls for dialogue while attacks continue.

His comments come as the US and Israel have continued joint attacks on Iran since Feb. 28 that have killed about 1,300 people, including several senior officials.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that host US military assets.