Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated that Iran is not seeking to impose tolls, stressing that “one must be careful in the use of words.” He said the joint efforts by Iran and Oman to draft a protocol for the safe passage of ships are “responsible measures,” adding that fees would naturally be collected for services provided, including maritime security and environmental protection.
Responding to a question about why Iran does not answer Donald Trump’s tweets, Baqaei said: “We have much more important work to do than responding to tweets with AI caricatures.”
He confirmed that no nuclear talks are currently taking place, though messages between Iran and the United States are being exchanged through Pakistan.
Baqaei also advised American officials “not to talk about international norm-setting,” while praising China’s relationship with Iran as “very good” and describing the two countries as strategic partners. He said Beijing had played a constructive role in efforts to stop the war and noted that the Chinese president’s four-point regional security proposal was valuable for Iran.
He further stated that Lebanon “must be one of the elements in the memorandum of understanding.”
On negotiations with the United States, Baqaei said progress had been made, but whether an agreement is reached depends on Washington. He added that although consensus has been achieved on many issues, “no one can claim that the signing of an agreement is imminent.”
Criticizing the political climate in Washington, he said US politics had become “somewhat chaotic,” arguing that contradictory statements from American officials within hours of each other disrupt the course of negotiations.
