Iran denies role in attack on Kuwait desalination plant, blames 'depravity of Zionist regime'

TEHRAN: Iran on Monday denied any role in the attack on a power generation and water desalination plant in Kuwait, casting the apparent blame for the attack on Israel.

A worker was killed and major material damage was caused after an Iranian attack late on Sunday on a service building at the power generation and water desalination plant in Kuwait, the country’s Electricity Ministry said earlier today.

The ministry said the fatality was an Indian national.

It said the strike caused extensive damage to the infrastructure at the facility. Technical and emergency teams were immediately dispatched under emergency plans to deal with the aftermath of the attack and ensure operations continue normally, the ministry said. It added that authorities are coordinating with security agencies and relevant bodies to secure the damaged site.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Khatam al Anbiya Central Headquarters rubbished any role in the incident.

A statement issued today said: "The brutal aggression of the Zionist regime against Kuwait's desalination plant under the pretext of accusing Iran, which occurred in recent hours, is a sign of the depravity.

"Countries in West Asia must be vigilant against the provocations of the American-Zionists aimed at destabilising and destroying the region and must put an end to the presence of the criminal American army and Zionist occupiers in the region."

Iran denies having direct talks with US, dismisses ‘unreasonable’ demands

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Tehran has “not had any direct negotiations with the US so far”.

“What has been discussed are messages we received through intermediaries stating that the US wants to negotiate,” Baghaei said in comments according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.

“I wonder how many people in America take the claims of American diplomacy seriously. Our task is clear, unlike the other side, which keeps changing its position," he said.

The foreign minister added, “Iran has been clear about its position from the beginning, and we know very well what the framework is that we are considering. The material conveyed to us has been excessive and unreasonable requests."

“The meetings that Pakistan has are a framework that they established themselves and we did not participate in. It is good for the countries of the region to be concerned about ending the war, but they should be careful about which side started the war,” Baghaei went on.

Iran Stands defiant

Baghaei said Tehran had received messages via intermediaries indicating Washington's willingness to negotiate. This ​followed a meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in Islamabad on Sunday to discuss mediation efforts.

But Baghaei, criticising the US proposals, told a ⁠press conference on Monday: "Our position is clear. We are under military aggression. Therefore, all our efforts and strength are focused on defending ourselves."

Meanwhile, a Pakistani security official told Reuters that at this stage it appeared unlikely there would be direct US-Iran ​talks this week. "We are trying our best to make it happen as early as possible," the official added.

Baghaei also said Iran's parliament was reviewing a possible exit from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which recognises the right to develop, research, produce and use ​nuclear energy as long as nuclear weapons are not pursued.

Trump has cited preventing Iran obtaining nuclear weapons as one of the reasons for attacking Iran on February 28. Tehran denies it is seeking a nuclear arsenal.

Trump calls Iran's current leaders 'very reasonable' as Pakistan prepares to host talks

US President Donald Trump said the US and Iran have been meeting "directly and indirectly" and that Iran's new leaders have been "very reasonable" as more US troops arrived in the region and ​Tehran warned it will not accept humiliation.

Trump's remarks on Sunday came after Pakistan, which is acting as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington, said it was preparing ‌to host "meaningful talks" in the coming days aimed at ending the month-long Iran war.

"I think we'll make a deal with them, I'm pretty sure, but it's possible we won't," Trump told reporters on Sunday evening as he travelled aboard Air Force One to Washington.

Trump said he thought the US had already accomplished regime change in Tehran after strikes killed the country's supreme leader and other top officials, but said twice that their replacements seemed "reasonable."

In a social media post on Monday, Trump wrote: "Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is ​not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately 'Open for Business,' we will conclude our lovely 'stay' in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and ​Kharg Island."

An initial Israeli strike on February 28 killed ​Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was replaced by his son Mojtaba.

​Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said talks between regional foreign ministers on Sunday covered ways to bring an early end to the war, and potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad. "Pakistan will be ⁠honoured to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in the coming days, for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict," he said.

It was not clear whether the US ​and Iran had agreed to attend.

Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, earlier accused the US of sending messages about possible negotiations while at the same time planning a ground invasion. Tehran was ready to respond ​if US soldiers were deployed, he said.

"As long as the Americans seek Iran's surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation," he said in a message to the nation.

Iraq's Defence Ministry ​said on ‌Monday that the Mohamad ​Alaa ​air base, located ⁠beside Baghdad ​International Airport, ​was hit by rockets in ​the ​early hours of Monday, ‌destroying ⁠an aircraft but causing no ​casualties.

The ​ministry ⁠added that ​authorities are ​assessing ⁠the damage and ⁠tracking ​the ​source of the attack.