Iran says final deal talks with US will not start if ‘threats continue’

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that negotiations on a final deal will not begin if “threats continue,” citing Paragraph 13 of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed last month with the US.

“Para 13 of the MoU is clear: Negotiations on final Deal will not commence if threats continue Honor your signature,” Araghchi wrote on US social media platform X.

The Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Washington and Tehran, brokered by Pakistan, entered into force on June 18 after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump signed it electronically.

The 14-point agreement initiated a 60-day period of diplomacy through indirect talks between Iran and the US aimed at reaching a lasting peace deal.

Araghchi’s remarks came hours after Trump warned that Washington is prepared to use military force if diplomacy fails, insisting Tehran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.

“We’re either going to make a deal or we’re going to finish the job. Okay, and it won’t be tough to finish the job. I’d rather make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 million people,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

The comments also came a day after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened that Israel would “thwart” any future Iranian leader who seeks to attack his country.

Araghchi also shared photos showing a massive gathering in Tehran for the funeral procession of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Feb. 28, the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran.