Iranian media: Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson denies negotiations with the US, seeking to end war rather than just ceasefire

Odaily Planet Daily reports that according to Iranian media Fars News, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Bakhshi stated that since the outbreak of war in late February, Tehran and Washington have not engaged in negotiations or any communication. Bakhshi said in an interview on Wednesday, “After attacking Iran during negotiations, no one can trust U.S. foreign policy anymore.” He added that Washington has negotiated with Tehran twice, but both times launched attacks on Iran. He pointed out that during indirect negotiations, Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran, which he called a “betrayal of diplomacy.”

Bakhshi said, “Yesterday we clearly stated that there are no negotiations or consultations between Iran and the U.S. I want to say that we have had very painful diplomatic experiences with the U.S.” He dismissed U.S. President Trump’s claim that Washington and Tehran have begun ceasefire negotiations. He stated, “In the past 24 days, there has been no contact between Iran and the U.S., and Iranian armed forces are still defending the country’s territorial integrity.” He added, “I cannot deny the fact that many in the region and beyond have proposed acting as mediators for negotiations between Iran and the U.S. These requests have been coming continuously for days. We have received such requests and responded accordingly. Our position is clear: we will continue to defend ourselves.” He also said that statements from the U.S. and Israel about negotiations with Iran are untrustworthy because they are the ones provoking terror war against Tehran.

Iranian sources say that we seek to end the war, not just a ceasefire. (Jinshi)