Iran nuclear issue off table; talks with US focus on ending war: Lawmaker

An Iranian lawmaker says ongoing talks with the United States are focused on ending the war and preventing a renewed aggression, adding that Iran's nuclear issue is no longer part of the negotiations.

Esmail Kowsari, a member of Parliament’s Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, told Russia Today that the nuclear issue has been removed from the agenda of discussions with the US.

He said discussions are currently focused on preventing the recurrence of a war, securing compensation, ensuring the withdrawal of American forces from the region, and lifting the US naval blockade on Iranian ports and ships.

He, however, expressed skepticism about the prospects for a final agreement, adding that negotiations are continuing between Tehran and Washington but have yet to produce tangible results.

"We are moving step by step. We will not allow the experience of the nuclear deal to be repeated," he explained, in an apparent reference to the 2015 nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which collapsed following the US unilateral withdrawal in 2018.

"We must make sure the other side fulfills its commitments before moving to the next stage, because we do not trust the United States,” the Iranian lawmaker emphasized.

Kowsari said US President Donald Trump’s repeated statements were "nothing more than lies" aimed at achieving his own interests and controlling global energy prices.

He cited the US-Israeli dictates as among the main reasons behind the failure to reach an agreement with Iran.

Kowsari also reiterated that Iran would maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, adding that many countries have accepted Tehran's authority over the strategic waterway.

Chief negotiator: Iranian missiles win concessions, talks just make US understand

Iran

On April 8, forty days into the criminal US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic, a Pakistan-brokered temporary ceasefire between Iran and the US took effect.

Negotiations ensued in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, but stopped short of an agreement amid Washington’s maximalist demands and insistence on unreasonable positions.

Indirect talks between Iran and the US, mediated by Pakistan and facilitated by Qatar, continue based on the Islamic Republic's 14-point proposal to reach a memorandum aimed at putting an end to the US-Israeli-imposed war, halt American maritime aggression, and secure the release of Iran’s blocked assets.

Despite suggestions that the indirect talks are close to leading to a possible memorandum, its text has not yet been finalized as it has undergone some changes over the past few days.

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