Iranian officials tied talks with Washington to their demands during Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s Oct. 20 visit to Tehran, restating conditions from Iran’s September proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Munir to discuss Pakistan’s mediation effort and regional developments, Iranian outlet Nournews reported. Pezeshkian also said Washington must lift its threats and sanctions before negotiations could begin. EconoTimes previously reported on Munir’s Tehran meetings with Iranian leaders.
Pakistan’s mediation helped produce an interim agreement in June, but Reuters reported that fighting resumed weeks later. In a Sept. 25 interview with CBS News, Pezeshkian said Iran and the United States signed the Islamabad Memorandum in mid-June. The interview described a seven-day proposal to reopen the Strait after Washington accepted Iran’s terms.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Washington must meet the seven conditions to regain Tehran’s trust, Nournews reported. The demands include ending a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, lifting sanctions on Iranian oil exports and halting hostilities across regional fronts. Qalibaf also linked mistrust to what he described as Washington’s failure to honor the June understanding and its later threats, Nournews reported.
The dispute also centers on uranium enrichment. Earlier this month, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance called for Iran to make a “meaningful” cut to its uranium enrichment capacity to meet Washington’s demands, Reuters reported. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, while the United States and other Western governments have accused it of pursuing them, Reuters said. Pezeshkian warned that renewed war would impose costs on Iran and the wider region, Nournews reported.
Security chief Mohsen Rezaei delivered a similar message in a separate meeting with Munir, Iranian media reported. Rezaei said there would be no talks until Iran’s demands were met and that all enriched nuclear material would remain in the country.
Iranian officials have made U.S. acceptance of the conditions a prerequisite for talks. No date for another negotiating round was announced.
