New Delhi: Iran is open to holding another round of peace talks with the US if it refrains from “unlawful demands” and accepts Tehran’s conditions, Iranian envoy Mohammad Fathali said Monday, as the US blockade of Iranian ports takes effect, further escalating the tensions.
The US and Iran failed to reach a peace deal at their historic 21-hour talks in Pakistan that ended early Sunday without a breakthrough, with both sides attempting to hold each other responsible for the stalemate.
Fathali also responded to the US military blockade on shipping traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports saying Washington knows the capabilities of Iran and that Tehran is fully prepared for “all options”.
“If you want progress in any diplomatic process, (both) sides should be ready for negotiations. And they should avoid unlawful demands,” Fathali told a media briefing at the Iranian embassy.
“Our high-ranking officials said we are ready for peace, we are ready for negotiations. But you should know that Iran is also ready for war,” he said.
“They wanted to finish the war in three or four days, but the duration, the scope and the geography of the war are under our control. You can see this situation after the 42-day war,” he said.
The Iranian ambassador was responding to questions on whether Iran was ready for a new round of talks as the negotiations between the two sides in Islamabad ended without producing any outcome.
The Iranian side had unveiled some “key points” during the negotiations held in Islamabad, including the nuclear issue, war reparations and relief from sanctions, Fathali said.
Hours after the Iran-US talks ended without any outcome, President Donald Trump said the US military will begin a blockade to stop ships from entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz and stop all traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports starting 10 am ET (7:30 pm Indian time) Monday.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical shipping route that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).
When Fathali was asked about the US blockade of Iranian ports, he said the American side is “very well aware of our capacity and capabilities”.
“Our high-ranking officials have said they are ready for all options. You can see how in our response and reaction,” he said.
The ambassador also asserted that the Strait of Hormuz is part of Iran’s “territorial waters”.
Iran will soon announce a mechanism for using the waterway, he said.
“Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz is part of the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, and we said that in the near future, we will announce the mechanism for the passage through this strait,” Fathali said.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a separate media briefing that India is closely following developments in West Asia, including those related to the Strait of Hormuz.
“As we have continuously advocated earlier, de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy are essential to bring an early end to the conflict. We expect that unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce would prevail in the Strait of Hormuz,” Jaiswal said.
To a question on whether Indian ships will have to pay a toll for passage through the strait, Fathali did not give a direct reply but said Iran has good relations with India and referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s phone conversations with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on two occasions since the start of the war in West Asia February 28.
“I believe Iran and India have common interests in the region. I also believe Iran and India have a common fate in the region,” he said.
The envoy inaugurated an exhibition of drawings made by the children of a school in the Iranian city of Minab that was hit in a missile strike when the war started February 28. More than 160 people, mostly schoolgirls, were killed in the strike.
Fathali said the military strikes by Israel and the US have killed 3,753 people, including 887 women and 221 children under the age of 18 since start of the war February 28.
The attacks also injured more than 30,000, including 4,989 women and 1,979 children, Fathali said, alleging Israel and the US have targeted hospitals, residential settlements, recreational facilities, religious sites, bridges, railway networks and petroleum infrastructure.
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