Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said Tehran will not accept any agreement ending its conflict with the US unless there is certainty that the Iranian people’s rights are secured, state media reported on Sunday.
“There is no trust in the enemy’s words and promises. Our only criterion is to achieve tangible results before we fulfill our commitments in return,” he was quoted as saying. Ghalibaf made the remarks after taking an oath as the re-elected speaker of parliament alongside its presidium. Track updates on Iran-US war
“We will not approve any agreement until we are certain that the rights of the Iranian people have been upheld,” Ghalibaf said.
The comments from Iran’s top leadership comes at a time when a potential peace deal with the US to end the war in the region has been in a limbo.
The New York Times and Axios reported on Saturday that US President Donald Trump had sent back a new framework to be considered by Iran with “tougher” terms, though details remain unclear.
Trump’s fresh stand on peace deal
Trump has said his priorities include stopping Iran from any nuclear weapon development and re-opening the blockaded Hormuz shipping lane.
“The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons. They’ve agreed to that, and it was very interesting,” he told his daughter-in-law Lara Trump in an interview broadcast on her Fox News program on Saturday night.
The two sides remain far from reaching a tangible deal to end the conflict that has been raging in the Middle East since February 28 after US-Israel strikes on Iran. While countries such as Pakistan, Turkey and Oman have tried mediating the talks between the two sides, the progress in negotiations has not materialised into a conclusive deal to end the Iran-US war.
Iran’s conditions for peace deal
Iran has put forward some conditions for the deal. It has demanded the release of $12 billion in frozen assets before engaging in substantive talks on its nuclear program, though Trump had earlier said that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile would be destroyed as “baseless”, according to Iranian media.
Tehran has also insisted that Lebanon be included in any deal, amid Beirut accusing Israel of a “scorched-earth policy” as it expands operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah.
While it looked like the deal was close last week, Trump struck a less urgent tone, hinting at renewed military action in the Fox interview.
“I’m in no hurry,” he said. “If we don’t get what we want, we’re going to end in a different way.”
