Iran slams US ‘moving goalposts’, disarray in decision-making amid stalled talks

Iran says shifting positions of the US negotiators, lack of coordination in decision-making in Washington, and also total collapse of trust between Iran and the US are among the main obstacles to reaching an agreement to end the war.

Speaking on an Iranian TV program on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei addressed  negotiations between Tehran and Washington. The talks, recently held in Islamabad following a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire on April 8, ground to a halt amid Washington’s excessive demands.

“During the new US administration's tenure, over the past year and a half, we have spoken many times about the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions,” Baghaei said.

"After every conversation, at that very time, the American side took military action against Iran,” he said, referring to the June 2025 and February acts of aggression which both came amid indirect talks with the United States.

Baghaei highlighted the glaring contradiction between Washington's diplomatic rhetoric and its actions on the ground, specifically pointing to the ongoing illegal US blockade of Iranian ports and vessels.

“Presently, it is clear that they are not serious about lifting sanctions. You cannot claim you are lifting sanctions while simultaneously intensifying them,” Baghaei said. “Worse than that, you commit piracy and maritime banditry against Iranian ships.”

The US blockade, which has notably failed to achieve its stated aim of cutting off Iran’s oil revenues, remains a major stumbling block. Iran has categorically refused to rejoin the Islamabad negotiation process unless the illegal blockade is lifted.

This follows the criminal US-Israeli aggression that began on February 28. Airstrikes assassinated senior Iranian officials and targeted vital economic infrastructure, claiming the lives of over 3,300 Iranians. In response, Iranian armed forces launched daily missile and drone operations against Israeli-occupied territories and US military bases across the region.

Baghaei emphasized that the brutal nature of the aggression has only deepened the distrust.

“Negotiations with America are by no means normal, conventional, or usual; these negotiations have a bloody background, and I can no longer use the word ‘trust’,” he stressed. “It must be said that there is intense suspicion between Iran and America.”

He noted that the suspicion stems from American hostile actions that began even before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Addressing the slow pace of the talks, Baghaei pointed to the ruthlessness of the adversaries Iran faced.

“After an exceptionally bloody war that was not a classic and normal war, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iranian nation fought two regimes armed with nuclear weapons, two exceptionally ruthless regimes whose ruthlessness we saw in the crimes of Gaza and Lebanon,” Baghaei explained.

“You fought someone who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for the crime of genocide; on the other side, you fought someone whose track record is clear even within America itself,” he said, referring to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.

He added, “Given this, expecting us to reach a result in a short period, regardless of who the mediator is, does not seem very realistic.”

Throughout the war, Iran retaliated against the strikes as the closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz to ships belonging to the US and its allies which supported the aggression caused a massive spike in global oil prices.

Baghaei criticized neighboring states that assisted the adversaries. “You cannot set aside a situation where the opposing side uses a waterway, of which you are the coastal state, to strike you,” he said.

“Unfortunately, during the war, regional countries acted unjustly against Iran and aligned with a foreign party to attack an Islamic country during the blessed month of Ramadan. In these conditions, you cannot allow this waterway to be abused,” Baghaei added.

The spokesperson also pointed out that the global community, including Western alliances, recognize the illegality of the US-Israeli aggression.

“Europe and NATO refused to go along with it; it was extraordinary that they strongly believed in the illegality and aggressive nature of this war,” Baghaei noted. “They suffered disagreements within NATO because they know America is acting arbitrarily.”

On the negotiation front, Baghaei pointed to the US diplomats’ constant deceit and a lack of internal coordination, citing previous talks mediated by Oman that were disrupted by sudden US military aggression.

“Their negotiators say contradictory things every time. There is a famous saying in America, in English they say ‘moving the goalpost’,” Baghaei said.

“For example, at one point they say regarding the nuclear issue and Iran's enriched materials, 'we do not insist that the materials be transferred.' The negotiating official says this... but immediately a higher official tweets that they must be removed.”

He revealed that in the first five rounds of previous talks, before the US military aggression in June of last year, the two sides had reached agreements on texts at least three times.

“The Omani mediator wrote texts based on the conversations... both sides said yes, this can be a good basis,” Baghaei recalled.

“For instance, regarding the 67% enrichment, the US special envoy gave an interview, and then was heavily criticized by officials of the Zionist regime, and they immediately changed his words.”

“Lack of coordination is evident among different levels of decision-making in the US,” he said.

Ultimately, the Iranian spokesperson made it clear that Tehran relies on its own deterrence rather than international institutions.

“The greatest guarantee that mutual commitments will be observed is your power,” Baghaei said.

“There is no other guarantee; neither international law nor the UN Security Council. We have learned this lesson many times.”

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk