Iran-US Talks Limited to Nuclear Issue: MPs


Iran-US Talks Limited to Nuclear Issue: MPs

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior Iranian lawmaker dismissed claims about Iran’s bilateral talks with the US over the ongoing crisis in Syria, saying Tehran does not at all negotiate with Washington on any non-nuclear issue.

Esmaeil Kosari, the chairman of the Iranian parliament’s defense commission, rejected media speculations about Iran’s direct talks with the US over the Syrian crisis, saying the country would never negotiate with the US over any topic other than the nuclear issue.

The Iranian negotiating team does not at all hold any direct negotiations with the US outside the nuclear issue, he told the Tasnim News Agency.

Another Iranian lawmaker, Baqer Hosseini, who is a member of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, also told Tasnim that the foreign ministry officials have no permission to have non-nuclear talks with the US, and that it should not happen.

Given the guidelines of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, and considering the previous experiences with Americans, Iran is not supposed to hold talks with the US on any topic other than the nuclear issue, he added.

The remarks came after certain media alleged that Tehran and Washington have conferred on the issue of Syria in their Thursday bilateral talks, previously announced to be focused on the implementation of a recent nuclear deal between Iran and world powers known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

In a similar reaction to the claim, US State Department Spokesman John Kirby stressed that “the discussions with Iran over Syria and what’s going on in Syria took place inside the multilateral setting.

“The meetings bilaterally were primarily about JCPOA implementation,” he added.

Earlier on October 7, Ayatollah Khamenei categorically rejected the idea of talks between Tehran and Washington in areas other than the nuclear issue.

Negotiating with the US is forbidden because it would bear no fruits, but would do countless harms, Imam Khamenei stressed at the time.

Most Visited in Politics
Top Politics stories
Top Stories