Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has stated that any mediation should focus on bringing the United States back to the Iran Nuclear Deal. He continued on by saying that Tehran is not interested in talks with Washington.
The statement comes amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf especially around the standoff between Iran and the US.
A series of attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz have worsened the tense situation, with Washington and its allies placing the blame on Iran. Tehran has refuted all the accusations.
Earlier this month, the United States invited Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, among others, to join a coalition that would purportedly strive to ensure maritime security in the strategic pathways of the Gulf.
Washington and Tehran have been at odds with each other since the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal last year, re-imposing sanctions on the Middle Eastern nation. The move was also followed by an escalation of tensions in the Persian Gulf, prompting the United States to increase its presence in the area. Iran, for its part, later downed a US drone over the coastal area of Hormozgan, inciting threats by the United States.
