OMM Newsroom
Iran has sent the United States a clear response setting out its demands but has yet to receive an official reply, parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on Wednesday in an interview with “Al Jazeera”, according to Anadolu Agency.
Qalibaf said Washington had not given an official or specific response to Tehran’s message. “The ball is now in the Americans’ court. They must make a decision and announce it,” he said.
He said Iran’s priority was peace if Washington accepted its conditions, adding that Tehran did not want the months-long war to continue. But he warned that the United States would face another defeat if US President Donald Trump decided to resume military operations against Iran.
“If the United States or Israel starts a war, we will confront them both and respond to any attack,” Qalibaf said.
Qalibaf reiterated that Washington must meet Iran’s seven conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations. He said the strategic waterway would not return to its prewar situation and that future arrangements for it were part of a proposed understanding with Washington.
He also accused the United States of imposing a blockade that restricts food supplies and disrupts trade and healthcare services.
Qalibaf says lack of trust is main obstacle to agreement
Qalibaf said Tehran was determined to end the current “no war, no peace” situation, either through negotiations or sustainable deterrence. He confirmed that Iran’s negotiating team remained unchanged and that he continued to lead the talks.
An agreement with Washington was possible if the United States honoured previous understandings and avoided actions that undermined trust, he said. Qalibaf identified Tehran’s lack of trust in Washington and what he called excessive US demands as the main obstacles to a deal.
He also claimed that US officials had visited Moscow and asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to facilitate direct negotiations with Iran.
Ending the war against Iran and what Tehran calls the “resistance front” is among the provisions of a memorandum of understanding and one of Iran’s seven conditions, Qalibaf said. He warned that continued fighting would harm regional countries’ security and economies.
The remarks came amid diplomatic efforts to end the conflict between Iran and the United States, which began with US-Israeli military attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
According to previous reports cited in the account, Iran’s seven conditions include lifting the US naval blockade; guaranteeing safe passage for commercial vessels and oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz; removing unilateral sanctions; exempting Iranian oil exports from restrictions; releasing frozen Iranian assets; allowing Tehran to retain its nuclear materials inside the country; and ending the war.
Regional mediators, including Pakistan and Oman, have sought to facilitate negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Disagreements over sanctions, security guarantees and the Strait of Hormuz have continued to complicate efforts to reach a settlement.
