TEHRAN, November 9. /TASS/. Negotiations between Iran and the United States are impossible while the maritime blockade and the war continue and Iranian assets remain frozen, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday.
"Can you imagine a situation when we engage in negotiations with the United States on various issues that are of interest to them, while the naval blockade is underway, the war continues and our assets are frozen?" he pointed out at a news briefing.
According to Baghaei, Iran’s demands are based on the Islamabad Agreements, which clearly set out the obligations undertaken by both sides; the United States agreed to these obligations but then violated them. Tehran also demands the lifting of the new sanctions imposed by the United States against it in recent months.
On November 1, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that consultations with mediators on the two-day plan to open the Strait of Hormuz were underway, but no final result had been achieved by that time. He also said earlier that Iran had agreed during the negotiations to reduce the implementation period of the plan to open the strait from seven to two days.
Baghaei noted that reducing the plan’s term from seven to two days was a sign of goodwill and that if the United States demonstrates determination, Iran would be able to fulfill its obligations within two days.