Iran said on Monday it does not support an interim agreement in talks with the United States and is seeking a swift, result-oriented deal focused on lifting sanctions and addressing nuclear issues, as the two sides prepare for another round of negotiations within days.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said speculation about a temporary arrangement had no basis, adding that details of any agreement would be decided only at the negotiating table.
“A temporary agreement has no basis,” he told a weekly news conference in Tehran. “The drafting of any negotiating text is a joint effort.”
Baghaei said Iran was currently formulating its positions and hoped to hold another round of talks within days. “We are now in the stage of drafting viewpoints and we hope to have another round within the next two or three days."
He said Iran’s positions on ending sanctions and on nuclear matters were clear, and that Tehran was fully aware of the US position.
“Iran does not benefit from protracted negotiations,” he said. “Negotiations are useful for us when they lead to a result. Reason dictates that we act as soon as possible to remove sanctions.”
Baghaei rejected accusations that Tehran was deliberately dragging out the process.
“This has no basis,” he said. “We have repeatedly said we are ready to continue negotiations for weeks without interruption in order to reach a result.”
He said any talks aimed at forcing Iran into one-sided concessions would fail.
“No negotiation whose goal is to compel one side to accept unilateral demands will succeed,” he said. “Iran is serious and determined in pursuing the diplomatic path, and we will continue this process as long as we feel it leads to a result.”
Military ready to respond
Baghaei said US threats against Iran during the talks would not alter Tehran’s approach, adding that Iran’s armed forces remain on heightened alert while diplomacy continues.
“If it leads to war, our fighters will respond,” he said. “Our forces, with eyes wide open, are ready 24 hours a day to defend Iran’s sovereignty.”
On nuclear oversight, Baghaei said Iran had no preconditions for visits by the International Atomic Energy Agency, though he distinguished between general cooperation and inspections of damaged facilities, which he said required specific procedures.
"The issue of inspecting damaged facilities is different because there is no established method for such inspections.”
He said Iran had previously implemented the Additional Protocol to its safeguards agreement on a voluntary basis during the 2015 nuclear deal and could consider similar steps again in exchange for sanctions relief.
“Such a voluntary decision depends on reciprocal steps in the area of sanctions relief.”
Baghaei also addressed US sanctions, saying “In recent years they (Americans) have explicitly said that the goal is to pressure Iranian citizens so that they feel the pressure and protest against the government,” he said.
He added decisions on the nuclear file were taken within Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, with all relevant institutions participating, dismissing reports about any rift between the Foreign Ministry and the council over the conduct of negotiations, and saying the ministry acts in line with decisions adopted by the council.
Brent crude rose to around $70.50 a barrel after surging more than 4% in the previous session, while US crude climbed above $65, as traders priced in the possibility of supply disruptions from the oil-producing region.
“The balance of risks now tilts to a US strike after market close Friday,” said Michael Every, senior global strategist at Rabobank, adding that any military action could last weeks rather than ending quickly.
European shares also edged 0.1% lower on Thursday after a mixed set of corporate results, with energy stocks rising alongside firmer oil prices as US-Iran tensions kept investors cautious.
Increased US military activity in the region has left markets on edge, despite diplomatic efforts in Geneva this week aimed at narrowing differences over Iran’s nuclear program.
Safe-haven demand pushed spot gold up 0.5% to around $5,004 per ounce, after a more than 2% jump the previous day. US gold futures also edged higher.
“If there’s anything fundamental you could point to that would be supporting gold prices, it’s the prospect of conflict in the Middle East and the kind of safe-haven demand that goes along with it,” said Kyle Rodda, senior market analyst at Capital.com.
Gold has also drawn support from expectations that US interest rates could ease later this year, though minutes from the Federal Reserve’s January meeting showed policymakers were in no rush to cut rates and some remained open to further hikes if inflation stays elevated.
Asian equities were mixed, with gains in technology stocks offsetting caution over geopolitics. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.4%, while Japan’s Nikkei gained 0.7%. South Korea’s Kospi jumped more than 3% to a record high, buoyed by renewed optimism over artificial intelligence-related shares.
Still, analysts said geopolitical risk was capping broader risk appetite.
“The two nations have long been at loggerheads over Iranian nuclear activity,” one market participant in Asia told Reuters, adding that any disruption to shipping routes or energy infrastructure could ripple through global supply chains.
For now, traders say oil and gold are likely to remain sensitive to headlines from Washington and Tehran, with volatility expected to persist as the prospect of military action looms.
