Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister. (Photo: X)
Iran warned on Sunday that it does not trust the US and will refuse to sign any agreement with Washington unless the rights of the Iranian people are fully guaranteed.
The comments by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator, come amid reports that pres. Donald Trump sent back a tougher new peace proposal to Tehran.
The latest developments underscore how deep the divide between the two countries remains despite months of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, the conflict in the Middle East and the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The New York Times and Axios reported on Saturday that Trump presented a “tougher” new framework to Iran, although few details were released.
Trump said in an interview with his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, on Fox News that his biggest priority remains to ensure that Iran never develops nuclear weapons.
“The one guarantee I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons. They agreed to that, and that was very interesting,” Trump said.
However, Iran disputes the US president’s remarks and maintains that the parties are still far apart on nuclear issues and economic concessions.
“We will not approve any agreement until we are sure that the rights of the Iranian people have been upheld,” Ghalibaf said in a video message on state TV.
According to the Tasnim news agency, discussions on the draft text are still ongoing.
“Both parties regularly propose amendments,” Tasnim reported.
Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, also warned against premature speculation.
“Until a clear conclusion is reached, everything that is being said right now is just speculation,” Araghchi said, according to state TV.
Core program still the biggest obstacle
Iran had already been in talks with the US over its nuclear program since February, when US and Israeli air and missile strikes wiped out large parts of Iran’s senior military leadership.
Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is intended solely for civilian purposes, but the US and Western allies have long suspected that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran is now reportedly demanding the release of around $12 billion (more than R210 billion) in frozen assets before it will be willing to continue meaningful nuclear negotiations.
Iranian media earlier dismissed Trump’s claim that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium would be destroyed as “baseless”.
Straat van Hormoes remains a focal point
The possible reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most important issues in the negotiations.
The strait is a critical international trade route through which large quantities of world oil are transported. Iran has blocked the strait since the outbreak of the conflict, raising global concerns about energy supplies.
Trump claimed that under any future deal, Iran would charge “no tolls” on ships passing through the strait.
However, Iranian news agency Fars cited sources as saying “no such clause” exists in the current draft proposals.
The ISNA news agency meanwhile quoted the member of parliament Alireza Salimi as saying that a new plan on Iran’s “governance and sovereignty” over the strait will soon be presented to parliament.
According to Salimi, this could even include the introduction of “administrative charges” on ship traffic.
Iran is reportedly already repairing missile infrastructure
One of Washington’s stated goals during the war was the destruction of Iran’s ballistic missile program.
General Dan Caine, the US’s highest military commander, estimated already in April that more than 80% of Iran’s missile facilities were destroyed during attacks.
However, CNN reported on Sunday that new satellite imagery shows that Iran has already been able to dig open 50 of the 69 tunnel entrances damaged by US strikes.
The tunnels are part of 18 underground missile sites.
Although daily attacks in Iran and the Persian Gulf decreased after a temporary ceasefire in April, sporadic skirmishes still continue.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reportedly shot down an American military drone that “was about to enter Iranian territorial waters”, state broadcaster IRIB reported.
Washington has not yet confirmed the incident.
Conflict in Lebanon intensifies
Iran also insists that any peace deal must include Lebanon, where fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement continues.
Beirut accuses Israel of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy” as it expands military operations against Hezbollah.
A cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah formally began on April 17, but has been violated throughout, according to both parties.
The Lebanese Department of Health says an Israeli attack on Deir Zahrani in southern Lebanon on Sunday claimed the lives of eight people, including three women.
Diplomatic sources told AFP that the United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday about Israel’s expanding offensive.
The meeting follows after Israel captured the strategic medieval Beaufort Castle – a place that Israel also used as a military base during its previous two-decade-long occupation of southern Lebanon.
Clouds of smoke could still be seen around the area on Sunday while Israeli flags flew above the castle.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, described the recapture of Beaufort as “a dramatic shift”.
The conflict puts increasing pressure on Trump to reach a comprehensive peace agreement that can deal with the nuclear crisis as well as the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East.