IRAN and the United States signaled on Monday they will not seek to extend a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between them as a 60-day window that Washington and Tehran set for themselves to hammer out a final peace agreement expired on Monday.
Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman of Iranian Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference that Iran would not change its policy under pressure or so-called ultimatums or deadlines, but would assess developments based on national interests and national security.
Baghaei said the memorandum of understanding is now invalid due to U.S. serious violation of it.
"Currently, the condition of this MoU is completely clear: it is in inactive state due to the United States' gross violations of the MoU. The MoU stipulated that negotiations on the two issues of 'lifting sanctions' and 'the nuclear issue' would be held over a period of 60 days, and that if we did not reach a conclusion within these 60 days, it would be extended," said Baghaei.
The clock started ticking in mid-June, when the United States and Iran signed the MoU, aimed at ending the war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and paving the way for a final peace agreement.
However, instead of easing tensions, the situation has since swung between a renewed standoff over the strait, tit-for-tat strikes and sporadic diplomatic contacts.
Shortly after the MoU was signed on June 18, the ambiguous wording in the agreement over navigation rights in the Strait of Hormuz triggered new clashes.
Iran demanded all commercial vessels sail through a northern lane on Iranian side, while the United States backed a southern lane off Oman. The U.S. military struck Iranian targets, citing Tehran's attacks on commercial vessels attempting to use the southern lane. Iran responded by shutting the strait again.
The tensions escalated quickly: U.S. forces carried out air raids on Iran for more than 10 consecutive days, while Iran hit U.S. bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, with both sides at one point declaring the MoU void.
"The negotiations never began, because the United States committed gross and widespread violations of the text of the MoU just a few weeks after signing it on June 18 and therefore, the 60-day discussion is basically no longer relevant," said Baghaei.
The spokesperson also said Iran's armed forces are closely monitoring developments and keeping a watchful eye on any movement.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Tehran wants to reach an agreement with Washington but is unwilling to accept the kind of deal he considers necessary, as a 60-day negotiating period between the two sides came to an end.
"They want to make a deal, but they're not going to make the kind of a deal that I feel is necessary," Trump told reporters at the White House.
Trump offered no details on the state of the negotiations, reiterating that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remained Washington's objective.
"You understand that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they won't have a nuclear weapon," Trump said. "It's very simple. They can't have a nuclear war."
Trump also claimed that the United States had "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz through its naval blockade against all Iranian ports, repeatedly musing about making it a territory of the United States.
"We control it (the strait) with the blockade. And I like the idea of declaring it a territory," Trump said. "We have total control over the Strait now."
As for his earlier warning against Oman, which is reported to be working with Iran on a plan to open the strait and keep the waterway under the control of the two nations, Trump said: "I don't think they behaved very well, but we'd handle them very easily, just like we do others."
