Iran and the United States are not holding any talks on extending their ceasefire because, from Tehran’s perspective, the agreement never had a start date and therefore there is nothing to extend, a senior Iranian source told Reuters on Wednesday.
The comments came after Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, citing Pakistani government sources, reported that Tehran and Washington had agreed to extend a 60-day ceasefire under an interim agreement signed in June.
Military operations
The agreement called for an “immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts”, but quickly broke down. US President Donald Trump declared it “over” on 7 July, while Iran’s Foreign Ministry said a week later that it had been “suspended”.
“There is no discussion about an extension because, from Iran’s perspective, there is no period that started and therefore there is nothing to extend,” the Iranian source told Reuters.
The source added that the US had violated the interim agreement 48 hours after it was reached and withdrew from it several days later.
Sanctions
Under the agreement, the 60-day period referred to a timeframe, with the possibility of an extension, during which Iran and the US were expected to reach a final agreement that would place limits on Tehran’s nuclear programme and lift US sanctions.
A number of conditions were considered necessary before another round of negotiations could begin, including a ceasefire in Lebanon, freedom of navigation in the Gulf and exemptions allowing Iran to sell its oil.
“One of the issues being discussed through mediators is the return of the US to the interim agreement and setting a timetable for implementing the commitments,” the source said.
“There has been absolutely no progress on this issue,” the source added.
