TEHRAN, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian security official said on Friday that Iran needs to see practical measures by the United States rather than mere "paper commitments" before entering a new phase of diplomacy.
"It is Iran's right not to settle for the U.S. paper commitments for entering a new phase of diplomacy. We need to see practical measures from the Americans, actions that are quite self-evident," Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Bagheri Kani said in an interview with state-run IRIB TV.
"Whenever such measures are implemented, the ground will be prepared for a new breakthrough," Bagheri Kani added.
He stressed that efforts must be made to make the United States implement Iran-proposed seven-condition plan for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, "after which further steps can be pursued."
Bagheri Kani added that the United States had disrupted four diplomatic processes over the past 18 months through "hostile actions and breach of promises."
Commenting on a Thursday visit by SNSC Secretary Mohsen Rezaei to Moscow and his "comprehensive three-hour" meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the senior official said the trip was mainly intended to deliver a message from Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, to Putin.
The message outlined components for bilateral cooperation and prospects under Iran's new leadership, he added.
Bagheri Kani noted that the talks focused on strategic cooperation between Tehran and Moscow at bilateral, regional, and international levels.
Separately, Iranian Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said that the sole path to reopening the Strait of Hormuz is for the United States to meet Iran's seven conditions, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Friday.
Akraminia warned that any repeated aggression, adventurism or other malicious action in the West Asia region would definitely not lead to the strait's reopening.
Also on Friday, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said its aerospace division's air defense systems intercepted a U.S. MQ-1 Predator drone over southern Qeshm Island within the preceding hour.
In a statement on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said it was the 16th MQ-1 shot down by its "modern and advanced" systems under Iran's integrated air defense network, calling it another instance of the "enemy's successive failures" in its reconnaissance missions.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8. On June 18, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war in the region on all fronts.
Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on Aug. 17, to reach a final agreement on Iran's nuclear program and the removal of sanctions. However, they failed to make sufficient progress toward a deal as tensions continued to escalate.
On Sept. 22, Iran conveyed a proposed plan to the United States through mediators to end hostilities and reopen the strait within seven days, provided its conditions were met, and the proposal was followed by an exchange of messages between the two sides. ■
