Technical talks between the United States and Iran are expected to resume early next week, Pakistan said, signalling continued diplomatic engagement following the agreement that ended the recent conflict.
“Talks will resume next week, I presume on Tuesday,” Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told journalists in Islamabad. He added that Monday or Wednesday were also possible start dates, without disclosing the venue for the discussions.
Al Jazeera reported that the comments came as Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, described the agreement that ended the war as “America's declaration of defeat”.
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“The Islamabad understanding was not the result of pressure and coercion, but rather the result of the resistance and authority of the brave Iranian nation,” Ghalibaf said at a conference in Azerbaijan, according to remarks broadcast on Iranian state television.
“That is why the Islamabad memorandum of understanding became a declaration of America's defeat,” he added.
Ghalibaf also reiterated Tehran's position that security in the West Asia ast should be shaped by regional countries rather than external powers.
“We consider the withdrawal of foreign military forces from the region a strategic objective. We see the future of the region not in confrontation, but in interaction. [Military] bases of extra-regional forces in West Asia are a source of instability,” he said during a visit to Baku.
The Iranian negotiator said Tehran was prepared to work with regional nations on the principles of “non-interference in internal affairs and respect for sovereignty”.
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He also reaffirmed Iran's support for Lebanon, saying Israel must halt its military operations and occupation of southern Lebanon.
“We have not abandoned our friends and strategic partners in the most difficult and complex conditions … A ceasefire and an end to the war in Lebanon is just as important to us,” Ghalibaf said.
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