TEHRAN - Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Chairman of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Abdorahim Mousavi attended a closed-door session of Parliament on Monday that focused on the latest developments in the country’s foreign policy domain, especially the trend of talks between Iran and the United States, and the status of Iran’s defense capability.

“The key message of the simultaneous presence of the chairman of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the foreign minister in this closed-door session was to emphasize the important point that ‘diplomacy and battlefield’ are in full coordination, integrated and completement each other in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and these two are the two sides of the same coin,” said Abbas Goodarzi, the spokesperson for the Parliament’s presiding board.
Goodarzi, the head of the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee and a host of MPS expressed their views.

They urged Iran’s negotiating team in the talks with the U.S. to keep in mind the “snapback” issue and the experience of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“The U.S. is an enemy with clear track record of breaking promises, deception, and reneging on its commitments, and such a background should be seriously taken into account during decision-making and the course of talks,” added Goodarzi.

He touched upon the remarks by the foreign minister, adding, “It was emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran will never accept zero-enrichment.”

During the meeting, he explained, a report was also presented on Iran’s defense capabilities. 
This comes as Iran and the United States held indirect talks in the Omani capital, Muscat, on February 6.

The negotiations revolved around Iran’s nuclear program and the possibility of a new agreement that would curb certain nuclear activities in exchange for the termination of sanctions. The talks were mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who acted as a go-between for the two sides.
Speaking to reporters after exchanging messages with U.S. officials during two separate three-hour talks, Araghchi said the sides had traded views following a prolonged pause and thanked Oman for its role in hosting and mediating the talks.

“All issues that needed to be raised were conveyed in a positive atmosphere, and the perspectives of the other side were heard,” he said. 
He described the talks as a “good beginning,” but cautioned that any continuation would depend on decisions taken in Tehran and Washington in the coming days.