Iran sets seven conditions for U.S. talks

Iran’s top security official, Mohsen Rezaei says Iran has laid out seven conditions for any renewed talks with the United States, including an end to the fighting, the release of frozen Iranian funds, and a halt to the naval blockade. He said the message was delivered through Qatari mediators and is now waiting on Donald Trump’s response.

Rezaei said Tehran is working under a new strategy to bring the conflict to an end as soon as possible, while also preparing for the possibility of another US attack. He said Iran sees further aggression as likely and has shifted its military planning toward US naval forces across the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Arabian Sea.

In an exclusive interview with the Qatari-based news channel Al Jazeera he added that Iran is ready for a decisive war if necessary. The report says the US and Israel fought two rounds of conflict with Iran, and that Iran’s retaliation forced ceasefires in both cases. It also says the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iranian control, while Iran claims US airstrikes and the blockade violated a previous agreement.

Meanwhile Iranian parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, says the seven-month war ended in complete failure for the United States and Israel, which he said did not achieve any of their declared goals.

Qalibaf, who serves as speaker of Iran’s parliament and as the country’s chief negotiator, rejected the idea that Iran must choose between war and diplomacy. He said the country is prepared for both, and stressed that Iran should fight from a position of strength and negotiate with confidence when the time is right.

Qalibaf also pointed to the Strait of Hormuz as both a military and diplomatic asset. He said it will not return to previous conditions unless Iran’s demands are met, its rights are recognized, and US commitments are carried out.