A US-Iran interim deal has stalled, with Tehran saying Washington must return to the agreement and set a clear timeline for fulfilling its commitments, according to a senior Iranian source who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday.
_x000D_The comments came after Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported that Iran and the United States had agreed to extend a 60-day ceasefire under a memorandum of understanding.
_x000D_However, the Iranian source rejected that report and said no agreement had been reached to extend the ceasefire.
_x000D_ _x000D_Iran Demands U.S. Return to Deal
_x000D_The senior Iranian source said mediators are discussing a possible U.S. return to the interim agreement. Tehran also wants Washington to establish a timeframe for carrying out its commitments.
_x000D_However, the source said the discussions have made no progress.
_x000D_“There has been absolutely no progress on this issue,†the source said.
_x000D_Iran maintains that the United States violated the agreement shortly after signing it. Tehran therefore rejects the idea of simply extending the existing ceasefire without addressing the alleged violations.
_x000D_ _x000D_Ceasefire Agreement Quickly Unravelled
_x000D_Tehran and Washington signed the interim agreement in June. The deal called for an immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts.
_x000D_The arrangement, however, quickly came under pressure.
_x000D_U.S. President Donald Trump said on July 7 that the agreement was over. Iranian officials have since repeatedly accused Washington of failing to honor its commitments.
_x000D_The latest comments suggest that efforts to revive the arrangement remain difficult.
_x000D_ _x000D_No Talks on Ceasefire Extension
_x000D_The Iranian source said there is currently no discussion about extending the ceasefire because Tehran believes Washington abandoned the agreement only days after reaching it.
_x000D_“There is no talk of an extension,†the source said, pointing to what Iran describes as U.S. violations of the agreement.
_x000D_Mediators now face the challenge of bringing both sides back to negotiations while resolving disagreements over the original commitments.
_x000D_For now, the conflicting reports highlight the uncertainty surrounding the US-Iran interim deal and the future of the ceasefire.
