TEHRAN – Iran yesterday denied it had received an ultimatum from president Donald Trump to reach a nuclear agreement, after the US leader said he had given the Islamic Republic a deadline to enter talks and threatened military action. 

Asked at a news conference whether Iran had received a precise ultimatum from the United States, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran “is a country that always acts with honesty and seriousness in diplomatic processes, but it never accepts ultimatums. 

For that reason, such a statement cannot be confirmed.” 

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities have arrested four foreigners of undisclosed nationalities for “participation in riots”, state television reported yesterday. 

“These individuals were apprehended during a raid on their hideout” in Tehran province, national television said, without specifying the date of the arrests. 

“During a search of one suspect’s bag, four homemade stun grenades, used during the riots and unrest in the area, were discovered,” it added. 

Iran also yesterday said it had summoned European ambassadors stationed in Tehran after the EU’s designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group. 

On Sunday and yesterday, “representatives of all EU member states that have an embassy in Tehran were summoned to the foreign ministry”, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said. 

“This is the smallest of measures,” before other moves are announced, Baqaei told a foreign ministry press briefing that AFP journalists attended. – Nampa/AFP