Iran says 'no such thing' as 60-day deadline in MoU with US

“All decisions are made solely based on evaluations of national interests and national security. What was anticipated in the MoU was merely a 60-day window for talks on two axes — sanctions relief and the nuclear problem — which could be extended if no result was reached,” he said.

“Due to the blatant and widespread violation of the June 18 MoU by the US just a few weeks after its signing, no talks were initiated, and consequently, the issue of the 60-day period completely lost its relevance,” ISNA quoted him as saying.

“The primary focus of the entire country is on managing current affairs, while simultaneously the armed forces are closely monitoring all movements with full vigilance,” he added.

The MoU between the US and Iran was signed on June 18 after weeks of intensive diplomacy. It was aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the Middle East conflict — which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February — after a further 60 days of negotiations.

When Iran attacked commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, including a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker, accusing the US of violating the understanding, however, renewed hostilities erupted on July 7. The attack prompted multiple waves of US strikes on Iranian military targets.

The conflict also spread to new fronts, with the Houthi rebels in Yemen imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, extending the war to a second major shipping chokepoint.

Iran considers missing pilots to be prisoners in Qatar

According to Baqaei also, iran will consider three missing pilots to be prisoners in Qatar, despite Doha’s denials, until it clarifies their fate.

Tehran has said the Iranians went missing while carrying out an operation against the United States’ Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on March 2, shortly after the outbreak of the Middle East war.

After previously saying one pilot had been killed and three others were missing following their sortie, on Saturday, Iranian authorities alleged for the first time that the pilots had been captured in Qatar.

“It is imperative to obtain clarification on their situation,” Baqaei said.

“Until the pilots’ situation is clarified, we consider them prisoners and will spare no effort to shed light on their fate.”

Qatar denies holding the pilots and said an invitation had been sent to Iran “to be briefed on the details of the search and rescue operations in April, but the Iranian side has yet to respond”.

Iran blames US presence for Gulf waters pollution

After several oil spills were noted, meanwhile, the foreign ministry spokesperson blamed pollution in Gulf waters on US military operations in the region.

“This environmental damage stems from the US military presence and the wars it has waged in the region over the past five decades,” Baqaei said.

“The damage caused to the environment of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is not solely linked to this war.”

He urged the US to be held accountable, estimating the damage at “trillions of dollars”.

Last week, Iran urged compensation after an oil slick in the Strait of Hormuz reached the island of Qeshm, affecting beaches and an environmentally sensitive mangrove forest.

At the time, Baqaei cited preliminary evidence identifying “a foreign bulk carrier” as the source of the spill. It iranian officials afterwards said had been “completely cleaned up”.

Earlier, Omani state media reported that an oil slick from a tanker that ran aground off Oman had reached the coastline.

An AFP investigation previously found that the vessel had been stranded for weeks near Oman’s Al-Qibliyyah island after it was damaged by explosions.