Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said on Sunday that Tehran will not accept any deal with Washington unless it ensures “the rights of the Iranian people are secured.”
“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,” the state broadcaster IRIB quoted Qalibaf as saying during a virtual session of the parliament after he took an oath as the parliament’s re-elected speaker.
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in late February. Tehran retaliated with attacks targeting Israel and US allies in the Gulf while closing the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but subsequent talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. US President Donald Trump later extended the truce indefinitely.
Iran and the US have since continued exchanging proposals and counterproposals in an effort to resume direct talks and end the war.
