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Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned on Sunday that Tehran does not trust the United States, declaring that the Islamic Republic will reject any peace deal unless Washington fully secures Iranian rights.
Ghalibaf’s remarks followed reports that US President Donald Trump sent a tougher peace proposal back to Iran, highlighting the deep rift that negotiators must still close.
Any changes to the current draft could further delay an agreement to formally end the Middle East war and reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
While President Trump aims to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons and reopen the vital shipping lane, Tehran has dismissed his recent public assertions as baseless.
Iran demands the release of $12 billion in frozen assets before engaging in substantive nuclear talks and continues to reject US demands to destroy its enriched uranium stockpile.
Meanwhile, despite intense US airstrikes earlier this year, recent satellite imagery reveals that Tehran has already excavated 50 out of 69 underground missile tunnel entrances hit by the American military.
Sporadic violence also continues to threaten the April ceasefire, as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reportedly shot down a US military drone near Iranian waters on Sunday.
Furthermore, Tehran insists that any final peace deal must include Lebanon, where fierce fighting rages on.
To address Israel’s expanding offensive and its recent capture of the strategic Beaufort Castle from Hezbollah, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday.
