Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a press conference on Monday that Tehran is “serious” about ongoing negotiations to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, and after President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed Tehran’s latest proposal as “totally unacceptable.”
“Diplomatic processes have their own rules, and parties to any negotiation must decide based on their national interests,” Baghaei said, as quoted by the semi-official Mehr News Agency.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has shown it is serious in pursuing its national interests and legitimate rights, while at the same time participating in diplomatic processes with good faith and reason,” he added.
Rather, Baghaei said, it is the U.S. that still needs to prove its commitment to a diplomatic process, citing the U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal in 2018 and its previous launching of military action despite ongoing talks.
“We fight whenever necessary, and we use the weapon of diplomacy whenever we deem it right,” Baghaei said.
