Iran Says Defense Comes First as US ‘Betrays Diplomacy’ Again — Foreign Ministry Spox
Iranians drive past missiles by their motorcycle during a rally marking the 42nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, at Azadi (Freedom) Square in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021
“This memorandum of understanding leaves no room for ambiguity and cannot be interpreted in different ways. What the United States did was a blatant and egregious violation of various provisions of this agreement, and for the third time, diplomacy has been betrayed,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told Fars News.The US is exchanging messages with Iran through mediators, including Pakistan, Oman and Qatar, but Iran’s priority is defending its sovereignty, territorial integrity and people against US war crimes, Baghaei said.
Baghaei stressed that dialogue needs a reliable foundation, which was destroyed by the US.“This time as well, after signing the memorandum of understanding, which was personally signed by the President of the United States, they violated the same agreement,” he added.
