Iran told Pakistan's army chief on Tuesday that there would be no talks with Washington until Tehran's demands were met, Iranian media reported, in a hardening stance relayed by Reuters. President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed mediation efforts and regional developments with Field Marshal Asim Munir in Tehran, according to Nournews, underscoring Pakistan's role as a key intermediary between the United States and Iran.
Munir also met Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who said Washington could not regain Tehran's trust until it fulfilled seven conditions Iran set out last month for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to an Iranian readout of the meeting. The demands include ending a US blockade on its ports, lifting sanctions on its oil exports, and ending hostilities on all regional fronts, Reuters reported.
Iran's security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, delivered a similar message in a separate meeting with Munir, saying negotiations could not begin until Tehran's demands were fulfilled. Rezaei also said all enriched nuclear materials would remain in Iran, reiterating Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's position that near-weapons-grade uranium should not be shipped abroad. Israel, the United States and other Western states have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, pointing to its enrichment of uranium to 60 percent; Tehran denies the charge.
Earlier mediation by Pakistan helped produce an interim peace agreement in June, but the Islamabad Memorandum quickly unravelled as fighting between Iran and the United States resumed weeks later. US Vice President JD Vance said earlier this month that Iran must make a meaningful reduction in its uranium enrichment capacity to satisfy American demands and end the eight-month-old war. With both sides digging in, the prospect of renewed talks appears distant.
Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that Iran has not received a response from Saudi Arabia or the Houthis to its offer to help broker talks to end the fighting between them, Reuters reported. Araghchi added that any foreign intervention in the conflict would complicate matters, and said Egypt has previously told Iran it would not directly interfere in the Yemeni conflict. The comments underline how crowded the mediation landscape has become, with Pakistan, Qatar and Oman all attempting to bridge gaps between Tehran, Riyadh and Washington.