Iran offers US 2-day timeline after Marco Rubio criticized conditions
Iran just offered a two-day timeline to get peace talks going with the US calling it the "most reasonable offer on the table."
This move comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called some of Iran's conditions (like lifting sanctions and ending a naval blockade) "outrageous and ridiculous."
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei pushed back, saying these demands are necessary if talks are actually going to happen.
Esmaeil Baghaei calls US pressure diversion
Iran originally wanted a week but cut it down to two days, hoping for faster action.
Baghaei says the US needs to stop hostile actions and meet certain conditions before any real dialogue can start.
He also brushed off US efforts to pressure Iraq on border crossings with Iran, calling it a diversion following President Donald Trump's Republicans's losses in midterm elections.
For now, Iran isn't budging on its preconditions: they see them as essential for any progress.