Iran has ruled out accepting any agreement with the United States that fails to fully protect its national interests, as fresh reports suggest Washington has proposed tougher terms in ongoing negotiations aimed at ending months of regional tensions.
Speaking on Sunday, Iran’s chief negotiator and parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Tehran would not endorse any deal unless it was convinced that the rights and interests of the Iranian people had been adequately safeguarded.
“We will not approve any agreement until we are certain that the rights of the Iranian people have been upheld,” Ghalibaf said in remarks broadcast on Iranian state television.
His comments came after reports from The New York Times and Axios indicated that U.S. President Donald Trump had returned a proposed agreement to Iranian negotiators with significant revisions.
While the exact details of the changes remain unclear, the reports described the new proposal as containing tougher conditions.
The latest development threatens to prolong negotiations aimed at formally ending the Middle East conflict and reopening the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments.
Trump has repeatedly stated that his administration’s key objectives are preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and restoring unrestricted access to the Strait of Hormuz.
In an interview aired on Fox News, Trump said Iran had already agreed not to pursue nuclear weapons.
“The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons,” Trump said. “They’ve agreed to that, and it was very interesting.”
However, Iranian officials have continued to challenge several of Trump’s claims, highlighting persistent disagreements between both sides.
Tehran maintains that the release of approximately $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets must be part of any meaningful agreement.
Iranian officials have also dismissed suggestions that their stockpile of enriched uranium would be surrendered or destroyed, describing such claims as unfounded.
Another sticking point remains Iran’s demand that Lebanon be included in broader regional discussions, particularly as clashes continue between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.
Despite earlier optimism from Washington that a breakthrough was near, Trump appeared less eager for a quick resolution during his latest remarks.
“I’m in no hurry,” he said. “If we don’t get what we want, we’re going to end in a different way.”
His comments echoed those of U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who warned during a security summit in Asia that Washington retained the capability to resume military operations if diplomacy failed.
Although a ceasefire brokered in April largely halted major hostilities, tensions have continued to simmer. Iranian state media reported that the Revolutionary Guards recently shot down a U.S. military drone allegedly approaching Iranian territorial waters, though American officials have not confirmed the incident.
Earlier this week, fighting briefly intensified after U.S. forces reportedly struck Iran’s Bandar Abbas port, prompting retaliatory action from Tehran.
Meanwhile, disputes over the future of the Strait of Hormuz remain unresolved. While Trump claimed Iran had agreed not to impose tolls on vessels using the waterway, Iranian media quoted officials denying that any such provision exists in the current negotiations.
Iranian lawmakers are also reportedly considering legislation aimed at strengthening Tehran’s control and management of the strategic shipping route.
Beyond the U.S.-Iran talks, tensions remain high on the Lebanon front. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that Israeli forces had crossed the Litani River and raised the Israeli flag over the historic Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon.
The move is part of an expanded military campaign against Hezbollah, with Israel issuing fresh evacuation orders in several areas of southern Lebanon. The Israeli military also confirmed that one of its soldiers was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy” and called for an immediate and genuine ceasefire.
Although Israel and Hezbollah formally entered into a truce in April, both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the agreement, raising concerns that the conflict could escalate further despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.
For now, negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain active, but significant differences continue to stand in the way of a final agreement.
