The deal between Iran and the United States to end the Middle East war is “America’s declaration of defeat”, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiating team, said on Wednesday.
“The Islamabad understanding was not the result of pressure and coercion, but rather the result of the resistance and authority of the brave Iranian nation,” Ghalibaf said at a conference in Azerbaijan broadcast on Iranian television.
“That is why, the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding became a declaration of America’s defeat,” he said, adding that security in the Middle East must be ensured by the countries of the region.
Meanwhile, Pakistan said technical talks that Islamabad has been mediating between the United States and Iran were set to restart next week.
“Talks will resume next week, I presume on Tuesday,” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told journalists in Islamabad, adding next Monday or Wednesday were also possible start dates and without providing details on the location of discussions.
These developments come after the US Senate passed a largely symbolic resolution Tuesday calling for an end to President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, delivering a fresh rebuke to the White House as it tries to negotiate a lasting settlement with Tehran.
The House-passed measure, adopted by the Senate in a 50-48 vote, directs Trump to remove US forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress explicitly authorizes military action. Because the measure is a “concurrent resolution,” it does not go to Trump’s desk for signature and carries disputed legal force.
Trump slammed the vote later Tuesday on his Truth Social platform, calling it “poorly timed and meaningless.”
“These Senators have just made my job more difficult, but I will get it done, one way or the other, because I always get it done!” Trump said. (AFP)
