Iran names ending war as goal of talks with US

Iran sees its goal in the talks with the United States in ending the war and ensuring security in the Middle East rather than in normalizing its relations with Washington, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said.

"Our goal is to put an end to the war and ensure long-term security rather than to normalize relations with the United States. And we do not trust the other side," Ghalibaf said.

According to him, it’s wrong to say that Iran will be either fighting or negotiating.

"It’s rather that we will be fighting at some time and negotiate at other time," Ghalibaf said.

He blamed the United States and Israel for the latest escalation.

"The U.S. president’s statements about the memorandum ran counter to the agreed parts of the deal, which revealed that they want neither truce nor dialogue. And we were forced to respond resolutely to defend the rights of the Iranian people," Ghalibaf said.

Iran launched missile strikes on northern Israel late on June 7. The Israel Defense Forces  said that all the missiles have been intercepted. The Iranian attack followed Israel’s raid against a Hezbollah facility in a Beirut neighborhood. Overnight to June 8, Israel delivered a retaliatory strike against Iran, targeting military facilities in the country’s western and central parts.