Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Monday that there would be no talks between Tehran and Washington until “Iran’s conditions are met,” comments that came after President Trump claimed that Iran “badly” wants a deal.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social: “The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the USA. will choose to engage – The concept of which we are open to. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The post reflected a change in Trump’s position, as he recently said he was no longer interested in negotiations with Iran, something Rezaei pointed out in his response to the US president.
“Don’t get distracted by the US president’s mixed signals—from ‘no negotiations’ to ‘we’re ready to talk,'” Rezaei wrote on X. “The stakes around oil and the straits have changed. Damage control won’t stop what’s coming. No talks until Iran’s conditions are met. Period!”
While Rezaei didn’t outline what Iran’s “conditions” were, Iranian officials have said in recent weeks that a deal was possible with the US only if it fulfilled its commitments that it agreed to under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June, which included an end to the blockade of Iranian ports, sanctions relief for Iran, and an end to Israel’s war in Lebanon.
There’s no indication that Trump is willing to fulfill those commitments, and according to a recent report from Middle East Eye, the US told Iran through Pakistan and Qatar that it wouldn’t return to the MoU. That message was delivered on August 24, the same day that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced what he called an “economic D-Day” against Iran, which so far has involved sanctions on Iran’s airlines and a few foreign banks accused of doing business with Tehran.
