Iran’s chief negotiator yesterday said Tehran would not agree to any deal with the US unless it fully secures Iranian rights, as reports emerged that Washington had sent a tougher peace proposal back to Iran.
Any tweaks to the proposal could further delay an agreement to formally end the Middle East war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The New York Times and Axios reported on Saturday reported that US President Donald Trump had sent back a new framework to be considered by Iran with “tougher” terms, although details remain unclear.
Photo: Reuters
“We will not approve any agreement until we are certain that the rights of the Iranian people have been upheld,” Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said.
Trump has said his priorities include stopping Iran from any nuclear weapon development and reopening 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 said in an interview broadcast on Fox News on Saturday.
However, Tehran has previously cast doubt on Trump’s assertions and the sides remain far apart on key issues.
Iran has said it needs the release of US$12 billion in frozen assets before engaging in substantive talks on its nuclear program, dismissing earlier Trump comments that its enriched uranium stockpile would be destroyed as “baseless,” according to Iranian media.
Tehran has also insisted that Lebanon be included in any deal, with Beirut accusing Israel of a “scorched-earth policy” as it expands operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah.
After previously signaling a deal was close, Trump struck a less urgent tone, hinting at renewed military action in the 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.”
That echoed remarks by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who said at a defense summit in Asia that Washington was “more than capable” of restarting the war if needed.
Trump is under pressure to secure a deal that would lift competing US and Iranian blockades around the Strait of Hormuz that have strangled a vital route for global oil supplies.
After Trump said Iran would charge “no tolls” on ships passing through the strait under any deal, Iranian news agency Fars cited sources as saying that “no such clause” existed.
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