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Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned that the United States cannot be trusted, insisting that Tehran will not accept any agreement with Washington unless it fully guarantees the rights of the Iranian people.
Ghalibaf made the remarks on Sunday following reports that US President Donald Trump had returned a tougher peace proposal to Iran, highlighting the significant differences that remain between the two sides.
Any amendments to the draft agreement could further delay efforts to formally end the Middle East conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, following weeks of difficult negotiations marked by heated rhetoric and intermittent violence.
Iran had already been engaged in discussions with the United States over its nuclear programme in February when US and Israeli air and missile strikes reportedly eliminated much of the Islamic Republic’s senior leadership.
While Tehran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is intended solely for civilian purposes, the United States and its Western allies remain convinced that it could be used to develop nuclear weapons.
The New York Times and Axios reported on Saturday that Trump had submitted a tougher framework for Tehran’s consideration, although details of the proposal have not been made public.
Trump has repeatedly stated that his priorities are preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and restoring access through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded since the conflict began.
“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 during an interview with Lara Trump on Fox News.
Iranian officials, however, have questioned Trump’s assertions and maintain that substantial differences remain unresolved.
“We will not approve any agreement until we are certain that the rights of the Iranian people have been upheld,” Ghalibaf said in a televised address.
According to the Tasnim news agency, discussions over the draft agreement remain ongoing, with both sides continuing to exchange amendments.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also cautioned against drawing conclusions prematurely, stating that “until a clear conclusion is reached…everything that is being said now is speculation”.
Tehran has reportedly demanded the release of $12 billion in frozen assets before entering substantive negotiations on its nuclear programme. Iranian officials have also dismissed previous claims by Trump that the country’s enriched uranium stockpile would be destroyed, describing such assertions as “baseless”.
Renewed Tensions
One of Washington’s stated objectives during the conflict was the destruction of Iran’s ballistic missile programme. In April, General Dan Caine, the most senior US military officer, estimated that more than 80 per cent of Iran’s missile facilities had been hit.
However, CNN reported on Sunday that satellite imagery analysis indicated Iran had reopened 50 of the 69 tunnel entrances damaged during US strikes on 18 underground missile sites.
Although daily military exchanges ceased after Tehran and Washington agreed to a temporary ceasefire in April, sporadic incidents have continued.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reportedly shot down a US military drone that was allegedly approaching Iranian territorial waters, according to state broadcaster IRIB. Washington has yet to confirm the claim.
Trump remains under pressure to secure a deal that would end restrictions imposed by both sides around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global oil shipments.
After Trump suggested that Iran would impose “no tolls” on vessels passing through the waterway under any future agreement, Iran’s Fars news agency quoted sources denying that such a provision exists.
Meanwhile, ISNA reported that Iranian lawmaker Alireza Salimi said parliament would soon consider a proposal affirming Iranian “management and sovereignty” over the strait, including the introduction of “administrative fees”.
Fighting Continues In Lebanon
Iran has also insisted that any comprehensive settlement must address the conflict in Lebanon, where hostilities continue between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.
Although a ceasefire officially came into effect on April 17, both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violations.
On Sunday, an Israeli strike on Deir Zahrani in southern Lebanon killed eight people, including three women, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Diplomatic sources told AFP that the United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss Israel’s expanding military operations, including its capture of the strategic medieval Beaufort Castle.
Smoke was seen rising from surrounding areas on Sunday, while AFP journalists observed an Israeli flag flying over the site, which previously served as an Israeli military base during its former occupation of southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the recapture of Beaufort as “a dramatic shift.”
