The U.S. and Iran are yet to agree a deal over the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.
The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.
President Donald Trump said in a post to social media on Monday that his "number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon."
With the 60-day window for U.S.-Iran talks nearing its end -- as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two combatants in June -- the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday that the deadline is now "irrelevant" because the talks never began.
Esmaeil Baqaei said that under the MoU, the 60-day period was intended to give the two sides time to discuss "the nuclear issue" and "the lifting of sanctions," according to a readout published by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Baqaei said the 60-day window could be extended if the parties failed to reach an agreement within that timeframe.
However, Baqaei accused the U.S. of violating the terms of the MoU and thus preventing the start of talks. Therefore, he said, "the 60-day discussion is no longer relevant."
On Iran-Oman talks over the future of the Strait of Hormuz, Baqaei said the two countries had agreed on a "navigation map," but that the text of the final agreement is still being finalized.
-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian
President Donald Trump on Sunday applauded a recently signed defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, saying that the deal "shows how the Middle East is coming together."
"Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement," Trump wrote, adding that this will allow the countries to "defend themselves in a more meaningful way."
"THIS IS A BIG, BOLD, AND IMPORTANT FIRST STEP -- WOW!" Trump wrote.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement," under which the signatories said they would treat an attack on one country as an attack on all three.
The deal builds on a September 2025 mutual defense agreement signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
On Monday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted to X thanking Trump for his "courageous and decisive leadership" that helped in averting "nuclear catastrophe in South Asia and saved millions of lives."
Sharif said that all three signatory countries will "continue to play a constructive role in ensuring the defence of our own countries as well as the entire region."
-ABC News' Emily Chang and Habibullah Khan
In an interview with the semi-official Fars News Agency published on Sunday, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps political deputy Brig. Gen. Yadollah Javani said Tehran could shift from a defensive to offensive posture.
"The armed forces will have transformative approaches based on the issued decrees, and every action to defend the country, ensure security, and neutralize enemy threats will be taken at the necessary time," Javani said, as quoted by Fars.
"The enemy initiated the war and Iran's actions are defensive, although they may also take on an offensive aspect in the future," he added.
-ABC News' Will Gretsky
