What is happening with Iran-US talks?published at 12:00 BST
12:00 BST
Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian
Image source, Daniel Torok/The White HouseImage caption,
Donald Trump signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Iran in June. The document has since expired
While there have been no official meetings between Iranian and US officials recently, there have reportedly been visits to Tehran by regional mediators such as Pakistan, Oman and Qatar.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said yesterday that Tehran would immediately resume implementing the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in June if Washington returned to its own commitments under the agreement.
But he made these remarks before last night’s US attacks on Iran, and this morning the message from Iran’s Armed Forces and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been one of defiance and retaliation.
Iran has repeatedly accused the US of breaching the agreements in the MoU, while Washington has accused Tehran of attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The US is also continuing its naval blockade of Iran, which has affected the country’s ability to export oil.
Inside Iran, there is renewed economic pressure after Washington announced a fresh sanctions campaign on 24 August, aimed at further isolating Tehran and expanding secondary sanctions on its allies.
Iranian officials and state media have largely dismissed the campaign as a continuation of previous US economic measures, arguing that they came after what they call Washington’s military failure in the recent conflict.