Baqaei: Ensuring Iran's national interests is the goal of indirect talks

According to Ashura News, quoted by Mehr News Agency, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated on the sidelines of the indirect talks between Iran and the US: Indirect talks between Iran and the US began at around 15:20 Oman time with the mediation of the Omani Foreign Minister.

Stating that we had a meeting with the Omani Foreign Minister before the start of the meeting, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said: Indirect talks have been going on for about an hour.

Referring to the goals of the indirect talks, he said: Iran's goal is clear; securing Iran's national interests is the goal of the indirect talks.

The Foreign Ministry Spokesperson added: We are giving diplomacy a real and honest opportunity so that through talks we can advance the nuclear issue on the one hand and, more importantly, the lifting of sanctions for us.

Baghaei continued: Iran has proven its commitment to diplomacy in practice in these few decades of its existence, and it has proven this well in practice on the nuclear issue in these two decades.

Baghaei said: These talks demonstrate Iran’s determination to secure the national interests of the Iranian people through diplomacy and are an opportunity and test for the other side to show its seriousness and intentions. Today is an important and decisive day for Iran’s constructive and responsible approach to be appreciated.

Regarding the marginalizations made by some media outlets, including Reuters, this senior Iranian diplomat said: “We are not unfamiliar with these marginalizations, both because of Iran’s position and because of the conflicting interests that exist among various actors in relation to any type of interaction regarding discussions related to the Iranian nuclear issue. These marginalizations, which are mainly made by referring to informed sources or officials close to the negotiations, have recently pointed out to Omani officials that this is not true. The Omanis know their duties well and have acted professionally in this regard in the past.

He added: "All the things that have been said, including by Reuters, which unfortunately has a long history of news-making and misleading reports, are all denied and have no basis."

In response to the question of how long the indirect talks will take today, the Foreign Ministry spokesman noted: "This is a beginning and it is natural for the parties to provide each other with their basic positions through the Omani mediator at this stage; therefore, we do not expect this round of negotiations to be long."