Iranian lawmaker says government barred from direct talks with the US

A member of Iran’s parliamentary national security and foreign policy committee says the government is not currently permitted to engage in direct negotiations with the US.

"The government has only been authorized to negotiate with European countries," Fada-Hossein Maleki said in an interview with the Didban Iran website in Tehran published Sunday.

"Iran is not the first, second, or even third priority for [Donald] Trump," Maleki added, the two countries not having diplomatic ties since 1980.

Maleki also highlighted that Iran has never entirely closed the door to negotiations in recent years.

"Some mediating countries, like Oman, have consistently maintained contact with both the Iranian side and Western parties, including the Americans," he said.

He emphasized that the Islamic Republic has always kept the path to dialogue open to demonstrate its adherence to international principles and norms, blaming the US for violating commitments by withdrawing from the JCPOA.