TEHRAN – Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who heads the country’s negotiating team, says the lack of trust in the United States remains the main obstacle to reaching an agreement, adding that Washington has yet to provide a formal and specific response to Tehran’s latest proposal.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Qalibaf said Iran’s response was based on the legitimate rights of the Iranian people, who have been subjected to US and Israeli aggression, threats, and crimes.
“The ball is now in the US court. It must make a decision and announce it,” he said, referring to the seven conditions Iran has set for further negotiations.
Qalibaf said Tehran remained prepared to reach an agreement, provided Washington honored its previous commitments and abandoned ‘excessive demands.’ He rejected US criticism that Iran’s conditions were unreasonable, emphasizing that they concerned the country’s basic rights rather than additional concessions.
“The main obstacle to an agreement is this lack of trust,” he said, citing Washington’s longstanding hostility toward Iran and its repeated failure to honor its commitments.
Among Iran’s key demands, Qalibaf said, are an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, an end to American interference in the Strait of Hormuz, the withdrawal of additional US forces deployed to the region after the war, and the lifting of sanctions.
He described the naval blockade as “a brutal act of war under international law,” saying it had impeded food supplies, trade, and access to health care, while disrupting the daily lives of ordinary people.
“These are the minimum conditions we have set so that, if they are met, we can continue negotiations,” he said.
The seven-point framework also calls for an end to the war against Iran and the Resistance Front, a ceasefire in Lebanon, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory, Qalibaf added.
He identified Qatar and Pakistan as the principal mediators between Tehran and Washington, while noting that Russia, China, and other regional countries were also working to bring the two sides closer.
According to Qalibaf, US officials approached Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow and asked him to contact Iran to help facilitate direct negotiations. Tehran subsequently conveyed its position and demands to Moscow, he said.
The mediators had discussed implementing the necessary measures within two days, Qalibaf said, stressing, however, that any progress depended on Washington’s response.
He also dismissed reports of changes to Iran’s negotiating team, confirming that he remained in charge of the six-member delegation and continued to oversee the talks.
Qalibaf said Iran was determined to end the state of “neither war nor peace” and establish sustainable deterrence, emphasizing that this objective did not necessarily have to be achieved through negotiations.
“The Islamic Republic does not necessarily need to negotiate simply to avoid war. We believe we must move toward establishing sustainable deterrence in the country,” he said.
“We are not warmongers, we are not seeking war, and we do not want the war to continue,” Qalibaf said, warning that Iran would respond firmly if the United States or the Israeli regime launched another attack.
He further argued that the US military presence in West Asia had fueled insecurity rather than contributed to regional stability, calling on countries in the region to work together to establish lasting security without outside interference.
The head of Iran’s negotiating team also stressed that Tehran would not accept any arrangement that excluded the Strait of Hormuz from the negotiations. The future status of the strategic waterway, he said, should be determined through an understanding between its two coastal states, Iran and Oman, in accordance with international law.
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