Iran has told Pakistan’s army chief that it will not resume negotiations with the United States until Washington meets its demands, signalling Tehran’s tougher position despite ongoing mediation efforts.
Iranian media reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed mediation efforts and regional developments with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, during a meeting in Tehran on Tuesday.
Pakistan has played a key role in facilitating communication between Washington and Tehran. Previous mediation efforts helped secure an interim peace agreement in June, but the Islamabad Memorandum collapsed after fighting between Iran and the United States resumed weeks later.
Munir also met Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who said the United States could not regain Tehran’s trust until it fulfilled seven conditions Iran announced last month for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The demands include ending the US blockade of Iranian ports, lifting sanctions on Iranian oil exports and stopping hostilities across all regional fronts.
Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, delivered a similar message during a separate meeting with Munir, stating that Tehran would not negotiate with Washington until its conditions were met.
Rezaei also insisted that Iran’s enriched nuclear materials would remain inside the country, reaffirming Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s position that uranium enriched close to weapons-grade levels should not be transferred abroad.
Earlier this month, US Vice President JD Vance said Iran must make a “meaningful” reduction in its uranium enrichment capacity to meet Washington’s demands and bring the eight-month-old conflict to an end.
The United States, Israel and other Western countries have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons. They have pointed to Tehran’s enrichment of uranium to 60 per cent, a level significantly above what is typically required for civilian purposes and closer to the approximately 90 per cent enrichment associated with weapons-grade uranium.
Iran’s latest statements indicate that it remains unwilling to return to negotiations without concessions from Washington, despite Pakistan’s efforts to revive diplomatic engagement.
