Iran

Iran says US President Donald Trump’s assertion that the Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MoU) was a “waste of time” once again laid bare Washington’s lack of commitment to diplomacy. In a post on X on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei reacted to Trump’s admission that he never believed in the MoU and other diplomatic means in favor of peace. “Washington’s contempt for diplomacy is once again laid bare,” Baghaei wrote, adding that Trump’s remarks exposed “the hollowness” of US diplomatic commitments.

“For Iran, this is nothing new,” the spokesman said, stating that Washington has a long history of abandoning its commitments whenever they became inconvenient. Baghaei said the United States treats its international obligations as disposable, setting them aside whenever honoring them becomes undesirable or difficult. He also criticized European countries and others who defend Washington’s actions, saying there is no justification for them to continue shielding the United States from accountability.

“There is absolutely no justification for European states and other apologists for Washington to continue whitewashing US misconduct and shielding it from accountability,” he wrote. The Iranian spokesman called for consistent respect for international law and rejected attempts to excuse violations through political messaging. “Broken commitments cannot be excused, international law cannot be applied selectively, and no amount of political spin can absolve Washington of accountability,” Baghaei said.

His comments came after Trump said during a recent rally in Mississippi, “We did a little ceasefire, which I never liked very much. I considered it sort of a waste of time. But you know, you like to listen to professionals.” The Islamabad MoU, brokered with Pakistani mediation and signed in June, provided for an immediate halt to military attacks, the lifting of the US naval blockade, Iranian arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz, a path toward sanctions relief, and a $300 billion reconstruction framework.

However, the US immediately violated the deal by conducting deadly aerial assaults on Iran and imposing a naval blockade of the country.