Antony Blinken denies that the United States and Iran are close to reaching an agreement. In custody | citizen | United States
On the 16th local time, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken denied that the United States and Iran were close to reaching an agreement on limiting Iran's nuclear program and releasing American citizens in custody, saying that the relevant reports were neither accurate nor true.
Antony Blinken was asked at a press conference in Washington, the US capital, about the indirect talks between the US and Iran through Oman, and said: "With regard to Iran, we have seen some reports about the nuclear agreement or the detainees, which are neither accurate nor true at all."
"We are determined to ensure that Iran will never acquire nuclear weapons," Antony Blinken said. "We still believe that diplomacy will be the most effective way... But at present, the two sides have not reached an agreement."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani said on the 12th that Iran and the United States have exchanged information through Oman, "we have never stopped the diplomatic process," and the talks are "not secret.".
Kanani's statement has attracted media attention, with some reports suggesting that the US and Iran are close to reaching an agreement on related issues.
The New York Times reported on the 14th that informed officials from the United States, Iran, and Israel had been in secret negotiations with Iran regarding restrictions on Iran's nuclear program and the release of detained American citizens, in order to reach an "informal, unwritten" agreement.
The New York Times reported that Iran plans to agree to maintain the current 60% enriched uranium abundance without further increase in order to reach an agreement. Regional armed groups associated with Iran will suspend attacks on US military contractors in Syria and Iraq, and strengthen cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency's verification and supervision personnel. As an exchange, the Iranian side hopes that the US will avoid imposing additional sanctions on Iran. The Iraqi side also hopes to release three detained American citizens in exchange for the US unfreezing billions of dollars in Iraqi assets.