The United States long portrayed itself as the guardian of a rules-based order. Today, a widening gap between rhetoric and conduct is eroding global trust in Washington.
A former Iranian diplomat said U.S. President Donald Trump and his team appear intent on reaching results in the current round of negotiations, stressing that Tehran has consistently preferred dialogue over conflict.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that any new US military aggression on Iran would be “playing with fire” with “serious consequences,” in comments aired on Wednesday following indirect US-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva aimed at reducing tensions.
Iran’s Foreign Minister emphasized: "If the world desires peace, it must stop rewarding aggression. If the world seeks stability, it must end support for expansionism; and if the world believes in international law, it must implement it uniformly and without double standards."
Major General Seyed Abdolrahim Mousavi, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, has warned the enemies not to even think of attacking Iran because they will pay a heavy price for any act of adventurism.
The Foreign Ministry says preparations have been completed for holding talks with the United States in the coming days, with consultations continuing on the location of the negotiations.
Plans for Iran-US talks in Oman have been finalized, with negotiations set to follow the established format of previous rounds.
Iran and the United States are reportedly set to hold a high-level nuclear meeting in Istanbul this Friday, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Former CIA director Mike Pompeo has admitted that Washington played a direct role in recent violent riots in Iran, saying the United States “directly helped” the rioters.
Iran, China and Russia will hold joint naval drills next month.