60-Day Framework ‘Irrelevant’: Iran Tells U.S. to Accept Defeat
TEHRAN -- Iran on Monday rejected U.S. pressure and declared that the 60-day negotiating framework envisioned in its June understanding with Washington is no longer relevant, saying the United States violated the agreement before talks could begin and that Tehran would not allow sanctions, threats or ultimatums to dictate its policy.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the June understanding had envisaged a 60-day period for discussions on sanctions relief and the nuclear issue, with the possibility of an extension if no agreement was reached. But, he said, the talks never started because the United States breached the understanding only weeks after it was signed.
“There is no 60-day deadline in the text of the understanding,” Baghaei said, stating that Iran does not formulate its foreign policy under pressure or according to ultimatums. He added that the framework has become “completely clear and inactive” after what Tehran considers Washington’s “flagrant violations.”
The message underscores the depth of the current rupture between Tehran and Washington. Iran says the diplomatic process was undermined by the U.S. decision to resume or intensify pressure rather than pursue the commitments contained in the understanding. At the same time, Iranian officials have rejected reports of new secret negotiations with Washington.
A senior Islamic Revolution Guards Corps spokesman, Brig. Gen. Hussein Mohbi, separately denied President Donald Trump’s claim that the United States was communicating through a back channel with IRGC officials over the war.
“There is no dialogue between IRGC officials and the Americans,” Mohbi told Tasnim, describing Trump’s claim as “fantasies caused by delusions and nightmares resulting from defeat and desperation in the war.”
He said the IRGC’s role is military rather than diplomatic and that any diplomatic discussions belong to other parts of the Iranian government.
Mohbi also said that, based on information available to the IRGC, no negotiations with the United States are currently taking place even through diplomatic channels, citing Washington’s repeated breaches of commitments. “The IRGC is the arm and voice of the power of the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic,” Mohbi said. “It makes its voice heard on the battlefield.” He said that Trump’s comments would not change the military situation and claimed that Washington’s immediate priority was to manage global oil and energy prices.
According to Mohbi, the United States has only one realistic option: accepting its defeat and complying with conditions set by Iran. “The Americans should accept the failure as soon as possible,” he said, warning that delaying such a decision would expose Washington to greater losses.
The Foreign Ministry has adopted a similar position on the prospect of renewed U.S. sanctions.
Baghaei said possible new American sanctions, including reported plans for unprecedented economic pressure, would have no effect on Iran’s position. He said that Washington had already tried successive rounds of sanctions and “maximum pressure” without achieving its objectives.
Iranian officials say the military confrontation is evidence that U.S. and Israeli calculations about Iran were fundamentally mistaken. Baghaei said the recent war reflected the same “miscalculation” that Tehran believes characterized earlier conflicts and decades of sanctions and pressure.
“The best thing for America is to free itself from this situation as soon as possible,” Baghaei said, arguing that Washington should acknowledge its mistakes rather than continue a policy that, in Tehran’s view, has produced increasingly damaging consequences. That message was reinforced during Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi’s visit to Beijing. During talks with his Chinese counterpart, Gharibabadi stressed the importance of strengthening the Iran-China strategic partnership and condemned the recent U.S. and Israeli aggression.Gharibabadi said Iran has responded with significant resistance and has inflicted “heavy defeats” on the United States and Israel.
His discussions in Beijing also covered regional peace and security, the Strait of Hormuz and cooperation in international institutions, including the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
The Chinese meetings demonstrate that Tehran is simultaneously pursuing diplomatic and strategic relationships outside the United States while resisting Washington’s pressure.
Iran has repeatedly emphasized that strengthening ties with neighboring and regional countries remains a central element of its foreign policy.
Baghaei also dismissed reports of a secret Iran-U.S. meeting in Erbil as completely fabricated, describing such reports as part of a psychological operation intended to create divisions within Iran’s political and military establishment.
He said the Iranian negotiating team retains the confidence of all relevant state institutions, including the country’s defense establishment.
European efforts to facilitate contacts between Tehran and Washington, meanwhile, have not produced a new mediation channel.
Baghaei said Pakistan remains the principal intermediary in Iran-U.S. issues, with Qatar also attempting to play a role, while European countries have merely offered their “good offices.”
Mohbi also said that, based on information available to the IRGC, no negotiations with the United States are currently taking place even through diplomatic channels, citing Washington’s repeated breaches of commitments. “The IRGC is the arm and voice of the power of the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic,” Mohbi said. “It makes its voice heard on the battlefield.” He said that Trump’s comments would not change the military situation and claimed that Washington’s immediate priority was to manage global oil and energy prices.
According to Mohbi, the United States has only one realistic option: accepting its defeat and complying with conditions set by Iran. “The Americans should accept the failure as soon as possible,” he said, warning that delaying such a decision would expose Washington to greater losses.
The Foreign Ministry has adopted a similar position on the prospect of renewed U.S. sanctions.
Baghaei said possible new American sanctions, including reported plans for unprecedented economic pressure, would have no effect on Iran’s position. He said that Washington had already tried successive rounds of sanctions and “maximum pressure” without achieving its objectives.
Iranian officials say the military confrontation is evidence that U.S. and Israeli calculations about Iran were fundamentally mistaken. Baghaei said the recent war reflected the same “miscalculation” that Tehran believes characterized earlier conflicts and decades of sanctions and pressure.
“The best thing for America is to free itself from this situation as soon as possible,” Baghaei said, arguing that Washington should acknowledge its mistakes rather than continue a policy that, in Tehran’s view, has produced increasingly damaging consequences. That message was reinforced during Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi’s visit to Beijing. During talks with his Chinese counterpart, Gharibabadi stressed the importance of strengthening the Iran-China strategic partnership and condemned the recent U.S. and Israeli aggression.Gharibabadi said Iran has responded with significant resistance and has inflicted “heavy defeats” on the United States and Israel.
His discussions in Beijing also covered regional peace and security, the Strait of Hormuz and cooperation in international institutions, including the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
The Chinese meetings demonstrate that Tehran is simultaneously pursuing diplomatic and strategic relationships outside the United States while resisting Washington’s pressure.
Iran has repeatedly emphasized that strengthening ties with neighboring and regional countries remains a central element of its foreign policy.
Baghaei also dismissed reports of a secret Iran-U.S. meeting in Erbil as completely fabricated, describing such reports as part of a psychological operation intended to create divisions within Iran’s political and military establishment.
He said the Iranian negotiating team retains the confidence of all relevant state institutions, including the country’s defense establishment.
European efforts to facilitate contacts between Tehran and Washington, meanwhile, have not produced a new mediation channel.
Baghaei said Pakistan remains the principal intermediary in Iran-U.S. issues, with Qatar also attempting to play a role, while European countries have merely offered their “good offices.”