Iran defends two-day proposal for peace talks after US rejects conditions

On Monday, Iran defended its proposal to restart peace talks within a two-day period as the most reasonable offer, following US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's rejection of certain Iranian conditions. The Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, responded to Rubio's remarks during a weekly press conference. Baghaei questioned the reasonableness of Iran's demands for the US to lift illegal sanctions and end the naval blockade before negotiations could commence, as well as the cessation of warfare across all fronts.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman further stated that Iran had offered to reduce the time to restart talks from the initial seven-day proposal, which required Washington to first fulfill conditions such as halting hostilities, lifting the blockade, and waiving sanctions. Baghaei also emphasized that US pressure on Iraq to close most of its borders with Iran should not impact bilateral relations with Baghdad, following Iraq's foreign minister's assertion that Washington was pushing for such a move.

Baghaei dismissed a US military task force designed to limit Iran's land trade, characterizing it as a distraction following President Donald Trump's Republican Party's losses in the midterm elections.