Pakistan, Aug. 18 -- Iran has firmly rejected the suggestion that a 60-day deadline ever formed part of its agreement with the United States. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei made that clear on Monday, saying no such deadline appears in the actual text of the memorandum of understanding. Tehran, he stressed, will not bow to pressure or accept ultimatums; its decisions will be guided by national interests and security considerations, not by timelines imposed from Washington.

The point matters. The agreement was meant to create space for serious negotiations over sanctions relief and Iran's nuclear programme. It was not supposed to become a countdown clock for renewed confrontation. Yet Washington's subsequent insistence on a 60-d...