TEHRAN: Iran said on Tuesday a recent round of talks with the United States had been “useful” but the imposition of further sanctions by Washington was incompatible with the ongoing diplomatic process and could influence Tehran’s position in future talks.
The US on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a shipping network it says has sent millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China, the State Department said, two days after Washington and Tehran held a fourth round of talks in Oman on Iran’s nuclear programme.
“The talks were useful” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told local media.
“In recent days they [the US] issued sanctions on Iran, this is completely incompatible with the process of negotiations… This will definitely affect our positions”, Baghaei said on the sidelines of a book fair.
Fresh talks between Iranian and US negotiators to resolve disputes over Tehran’s nuclear programme ended in Oman on Sunday with further negotiations planned, officials said.
Though Tehran and Washington both have said they prefer diplomacy to resolve the decades-long nuclear dispute, they remain deeply divided on several red lines that negotiators will have to circumvent to reach a new nuclear deal and avert future military action.
The comments by Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson coincided with a visit by US President Donald Trump to the Middle East.
