Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf confirmed that the course of negotiations with the United States has seen relative progress, but still faces major gaps preventing a final agreement from being reached.
Ghalibaf, who headed the Iranian delegation in the Islamabad talks, explained that “the negotiations with the United States have made progress, but major gaps still remain between the two sides,” adding: “We have reached agreements on some issues, but not on others, and various proposals have been put forward. We are still far from a final discussion. We insist on certain issues that are non-negotiable for us.”
He pointed out that “the Islamabad talks did not eliminate Iran’s distrust of the United States, but mutual understanding between the two sides has become more realistic.”
Ghalibaf revealed that “the Iranian side only began studying the American messages from the thirty-sixth day of the war, and the actual exchange of messages took place through Pakistan during the last 48 hours before the ceasefire, while direct negotiations began after the Iranian delegation arrived in Islamabad.”
Regarding the points of contention, he noted that “the remaining disagreements are concentrated on the nuclear file and the Strait of Hormuz,” stressing that Iran wants “a lasting peace in which war does not recur.”
He stressed that “including Hezbollah in the ceasefire was one of the main clauses in the ten conditions put forward by Iran,” adding: “One of our discussions in the ten conditions was that the ceasefire should also include Hezbollah,” and affirming that “the ceasefire must also include Hezbollah, and this was part of Iran’s conditions for a ceasefire in the region.”
He also noted that “the Pakistani prime minister, in his tweet calling for a ceasefire, stressed that Lebanon should be included,” adding: “When we went to Pakistan, a ceasefire in Lebanon was announced, but it was not properly implemented. So I tweeted that America must complete and consolidate the ceasefire in Lebanon.”
Ghalibaf revealed that “Washington asked Tehran that if a ceasefire in Lebanon were achieved, Iran should restore normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz.”
He concluded with a warning: “We announced that if they do not abide by the ceasefire in Lebanon, we will strike and cut off negotiations,” adding that “Iran’s approach was that its entry into the ten-point framework of negotiations would come when the ceasefire in Lebanon is implemented and Iran’s funds are released.”
