Iran’s Security Chief Says US’s Latest Response in Negotiations Is ‘Inadequate’

The head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said on Sunday that the US response to an Iranian proposal to end the conflict was “inadequate,” as there’s still no sign of progress in recent indirect talks between the two sides. Mohsen Rezaei told Iran’s PressTV that Iran had presented the US with seven conditions, and that the US had agreed to some, but not all. “We are not in the process of responding to the Americans. They have responded to us, and we consider their response inadequate,” Rezaee said, signaling the negotiations were paused for the time being, though he also said Iran would never “abandon diplomacy.” Mohsen Rezaei (PressTV) Iran has essentially been asking the US to fulfill the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed in June, which would require the US to end the blockade of Iranian ports, lift some sanctions on Iran, release frozen Iranian funds, and ensure a real ceasefire is reached to end Israel’s war in Lebanon. There’s no sign that President Trump is willing to meet those conditions right now, and all signs point to another US escalation, which could come before or after the US midterm elections on November 3. For the time being, the US is continuing the blockade and ramping up economic sanctions. Rezaei said that the US has “suffered repeated defeats in its confrontation with Iran and has consequently turned to economic warfare out of desperation.” Rezaei also warned that Iran could introduce “new capabilities” if the US launches more strikes said that Iranian forces could strike assets belonging to US tech companies in the region, such as data centers. “We have not yet included these assets among our targets. But if war breaks out, many of these cables, data centers, artificial intelligence facilities, and numerous other sites will be destroyed,” he said, though some Iranian strikes did hit data centers in the region belonging to Amazon. If you liked this article, please support Antiwar.com. We are 100% reader-supported.