‘Ready for war’: Iran draws red line for US, says it won’t enter final talks until terms of MOU are met
Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on Tuesday that Tehran would be ready for war if the United States failed to comply with the memorandum of understanding (MoU). He further insisted that talks on a final deal would not progress until Washington fulfills its commitments.“We are ready for war if the other side does not abide by the memorandum of understanding,” Ghalibaf said in a television interview.He further cited events in the Persian Gulf, accusing the United States of violating understandings reached to end the recent conflict.“We believe that the events of these nights in the Persian Gulf violate the understanding to end the war, and we will certainly react and, of course, the other side will react as well.”He said that the current discussion between Iran and the United States is focused on implementing the 14-point memorandum of understanding rather than negotiating a final agreement.“We signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)… We are seeking dialogue to fulfill Article 13 of this MoU. The maritime blockade was lifted, which is one of the great successes of this MoU.”He also said that Iran has exported more than 40 million barrels of oil since the blockade was lifted.Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Ghalibaf said that Iran and Oman have sovereignty over the strategic waterway and Tehran will continue to regulate navigation.The sovereignty of the Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran and Oman, and traffic in the Strait is carried out in accordance with arrangements designated by Iran.He said that free passage through the straits will be maintained only during the 60-day implementation period of the memorandum, after which a charging system will be implemented for the services provided.Ghalibaf said: “The text of the memorandum of understanding stipulates that the passage of the strait is only for 60 days. Iran will not give up its rights in the Strait of Hormuz under any circumstances. These are our territorial waters.”Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran had no plans to hold meetings with U.S. officials in the coming days.“Basically, we have no plans to meet at any level with the U.S. in the next few days.”Baghai clarified that the discussions planned in Doha were technical talks related to the implementation of the memorandum of understanding, including the release of Iran’s frozen assets, and not political negotiations with Washington.“The implementation of the terms of the memorandum of understanding, including the release of Iran’s frozen assets, will be discussed in Doha tomorrow. As long as the other party fulfills its commitments, we will fulfill our commitments,” Baghaei said.His comments came as Qatar confirmed that technical-level talks between Iran and the United States were continuing in Doha, while clarifying that there were currently “no high-level meetings” between the two sides.
