Iraqji: No Tangible Progress Recorded in Talks with Washington

SadaNews - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced on Wednesday that communication channels with the United States remain open, but no tangible progress has been made in negotiations to end the war in the Middle East.

The Tasnim news agency quoted Araqchi as saying: "Communications with the Americans have not been cut off, and messages have been exchanged regarding the necessity of stopping the aggression on Beirut, but no tangible progress has been made in the negotiation process".

He explained that "returning to the negotiating table is conditional on guaranteeing the rights of the Iranian people, ending the war in Lebanon, and stopping tensions in the region".

The Iranian Foreign Minister warned that any attack on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, would lead to a resumption of the war in the Middle East "on a large scale," as Israel intensifies its military operations against Iran-aligned Hezbollah.

He stated: "Any attack on Beirut will have serious repercussions and will lead to a resumption of the war on a large scale," adding that "our armed forces are ready to strike Israel if it attacks Beirut".

For his part, chief Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf emphasized that Tehran will respond strongly to any attack it faces, according to local media reports on Wednesday, following the announcement by the Revolutionary Guard targeting Kuwait in response to American attacks.

The Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) quoted Qalibaf as saying: "Today, the Iranian people have shown... that the era of directing free threats to Iran has passed, and any aggression will be met with a decisive and commensurate response".

This comes as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Wednesday that the fate of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium is a key focus in ongoing talks between the two countries, under Pakistani sponsorship, stressing that Tehran has not yet agreed to a peace deal.

Rubio said before the House Foreign Affairs Committee: "I believe this issue has become clearly raised in the messages we exchange, but we have not yet received final approval from their side".

He also emphasized that the war in Iran is over, stating: "We no longer carry out continuous strikes inside Iran to weaken its military capabilities because the epic anger process has ended," considering that the United States has achieved a "victory".

He defined victory as "the destruction of their defense industrial base, reducing the number of missile launch platforms they possess, and significantly lowering their stockpile of drones." Rubio continued: "We have achieved all of this, in addition to destroying what remains of their air power and completely eliminating their naval fleet".