Iran says U.S. lying about resuming talks
Iran has said that United States’ (U.S.’s) decision to impose hard-hitting sanctions on the former and its top leaders, including the supreme leader, has permanently closed the doors for diplomatic ties between the two nations.
Speaking on the U.S. – Iran relations, the Spokesperson for Foreign Ministry of Iran – Abbas Mousavi tweeted, “Imposing useless sanctions on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the commander of Iran’s diplomacy (Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif) is the permanent closure of the path of diplomacy. Trump’s desperate administration is destroying the established international mechanisms for maintaining world peace and security.”
However, the U.S. National Security Adviser – John Bolton has said that the President of U.S. – Donald Trump has kept the door for negotiations open and now its upto Iran to walk through that door.
John Bolton said, “The US wants to hold talks to verifiably eliminate Iran’s nuclear weapons programme, its ballistic missile delivery systems, its support for international terrorism and other malign behaviour worldwide.”
He even mentioned that U.S. envoys have been working hard to find a way to reduce tensions between the two nations but there has been no response from the Iran side. Prior to this, Trump has announced additional and severe sanctions on Iran.
On the contrary, Iran has accused U.S. of lying about initiating talks with Iran.
The President of Iran – Hassan Rouhani said, “You say you really want to hold talks with us. But at the same time, you’re saying that you want to boycott and sanction our foreign minister, so you’re lying.”
Rouhani also observed that U.S. could have at least “given the world a chance to believe you that you are telling the truth when you say that you want talks — but immediately you proved that you are lying. If you really wanted negotiations, we would hold talks with you.”
Earlier on Thursday, June 20, 2019, Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed that they had shot down a U.S. spy drone, after the unmanned aircraft violated Iranian airspace near Kuhmobarak in the Southern Province of Hormozgan.
Post this, Trump had planned military strikes against Iran in retaliation. The strike was supposed to happen at 19:00 hrs. but it was called off minutes before it was scheduled as Donald Trump felt it was unfair to hit 150 lives in exchange of downing of an unmanned drone.
