Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Thursday that there would be no progress in negotiations with the US until the US accepts Iran’s “seven conditions,” comments that come amid reports that US Vice President JD Vance has sent a message to Mogsen Rezaei, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
“Iran’s conditions have been repeatedly and clearly stated to the mediators,” Ghalibaf wrote on X. “The carrot-and-stick approach has no effect on Iran. Progress can only be achieved once Iran’s seven conditions have been agreed upon.”
Iranian media reported on Thursday that Rezaei has not responded to Vance’s message. According to a report from Axios, Vance told the Iranian security chief that any negotiations to prevent another US attack on Iran “require discussions on the nuclear issue.”
Iranian officials have maintained that the nuclear issue isn’t up for discussion until the US fulfills its conditions, which include the end of the US naval blockade of Iran, sanctions relief, and the release of some frozen Iranian funds. In exchange, Iran would fully open the Strait of Hormuz, and only then would the two sides start negotiations on a final nuclear deal.
Iran is essentially asking the US to fulfill the commitments it made under the Memorandum of Understanding, and Iranian officials are unlikely to drop their demands since Iran was bombed twice before during negotiations with the US, including at the start of the 12-Day War in 2025 and the joint US-Israeli attacks that began on February 28 of this year.
All signs are pointing to another US-Israeli strike, as the US is positioning forces in the region to prepare for an attack, and Iranian officials may view Vance’s letter and other diplomacy as the US looking to buy time and potentially calm the markets, as it’s likely the Trump administration wants to wait until after the November 3 midterm elections to re-escalate the war.
