New Delhi, May 25 (SANA) U.S. and Iranian officials on Monday downplayed prospects for an imminent agreement despite ongoing diplomatic contacts aimed at easing regional tensions and ending the three-month conflict.
Speaking in New Delhi, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would continue giving diplomacy “every opportunity” before considering “alternatives,” according to Reuters.
Rubio said the United States was seeking a “serious and time-bound” agreement with Iran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran remained focused on ending the conflict, adding that negotiations had reached only a general framework and that no final agreement was close.
Baghaei said the current discussions did not include Iran’s nuclear program.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that sanctions and restrictions targeting Iranian shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would remain in place until any agreement was formally approved and signed.
Reuters reported that oil prices fell about five percent on Monday to their lowest level in two weeks amid market expectations that Washington and Tehran could eventually reach an agreement reopening the strategic waterway.
The two sides remain divided over several issues, including Iran’s nuclear activities, sanctions relief, frozen Iranian oil revenues and regional tensions linked to Israeli military operations in Lebanon and Iran’s support for Hezbollah.
A senior U.S. administration official told Reuters that Iran had agreed “in principle” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for easing the U.S. naval blockade and addressing its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Iranian sources said future negotiations could include technical arrangements under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
A ceasefire has been in place since April following months of conflict involving the United States, Israel, Iran and regional actors, amid continued concerns over the impact on regional stability and global energy markets.
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