The United States on Saturday warned it remains fully prepared to resume military action against Iran if negotiations collapse, as efforts to secure a peace agreement remain uncertain.
President Donald Trump has maintained that any deal with Tehran must meet key US conditions, chief among them a permanent guarantee that Iran will never develop nuclear weapons.
The White House had suggested Trump was nearing a decision on a preliminary agreement after weeks of fragile and often contradictory negotiations.
However, Tehran dismissed reports of a final deal to end the conflict that has rattled the Middle East and shaken global markets.
Sources told AFP that a draft agreement was awaiting Trump’s approval, but the president left Friday’s two-hour meeting in the White House Situation Room without making a final decision.
Speaking at a defence summit in Singapore on Saturday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington retained the capacity to restart military operations if necessary.
“Our ability to recommence if necessary is more than capable. Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both in the region and globally because of how we balance advanced and more plentiful munitions,” Hegseth said.
The remarks echoed an earlier statement from US Central Command (CENTCOM), which said American forces remain “present and vigilant” across the region.
Negotiations, reportedly mediated by Pakistan, suffered another setback this week following US strikes on Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas and retaliatory attacks from Tehran.
Despite the escalation, diplomatic contacts continued, including parallel efforts aimed at ending fighting in Lebanon.
Iran has insisted that developments in Lebanon must be part of any broader settlement, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israeli troops had advanced further north as military delegations from Israel and Lebanon met in Washington.
In a social media post, Trump outlined what he described as non-negotiable priorities, including Iran abandoning any nuclear ambitions and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route disrupted during the conflict.
“President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines,” a White House official told AFP after Friday’s meeting.
“Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” the official added.
Iran, however, pushed back strongly against Washington’s position.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state media that Iran no longer accepts the language of ultimatums.
“The Islamic Republic said goodbye to the language of ‘must’ 47 years ago,” Baqaei said, adding that communication between both sides continued but “no final agreement has been reached yet.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also struck a diplomatic tone during a phone conversation with Qatar’s Emir, saying Tehran remained open to achieving a “dignified framework” to end the conflict, according to state news agency IRNA.
Trump claimed the proposed deal would see Iran remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz, restore unrestricted navigation, and reopen the waterway without tolls, while the US would lift its blockade of Iranian ports.
He also said both countries would coordinate the removal and destruction of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and noted that “no money will be exchanged, until further notice.”
Iranian media disputed those claims.
Fars News Agency, citing unnamed sources, reported that Tehran was demanding the immediate release of $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets before moving to the next phase of negotiations.
The report also rejected Trump’s assertion regarding toll-free access through Hormuz and described his comments about destroying Iran’s nuclear material as “fundamentally baseless.”
For many Iranians, the conflicting narratives have added to the uncertainty.
“Both sides are speaking in a way that keeps their supporters satisfied. It’s not clear who is telling the truth,” said Ali, a 49-year-old resident of Tonekabon in northern Iran.
Meanwhile, fighting continued on the Lebanese front.
Netanyahu announced on Friday that Israeli troops had crossed beyond a river roughly 30 kilometres north of the Lebanon-Israel border.
Hezbollah, in response, claimed attacks on northern Israel and on Israeli forces advancing near the Beaufort fortress, known locally as Qalaat al-Chakif, a strategic site once used by Israeli forces during their occupation of southern Lebanon.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which was supposed to take effect on April 17, has largely failed, with both sides accusing each other of repeated violations.
Lebanon became directly involved in the conflict earlier this year after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in joint US-Israeli strikes, prompting Israeli retaliation and a ground invasion.
Israel and Lebanon began direct talks in April, with a fourth round of negotiations expected next week in Washington following Friday’s meeting between military delegations from both countries.
