Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, cast doubt on Monday on the reliability of any potential agreement with the United States, saying Tehran had no guarantees that Washington would honour its commitments, Al Jazeera reported.
Speaking at a news conference, Baghaei delivered an assessment of the state of negotiations, making clear that Iran was approaching the talks with deep scepticism about American intentions while maintaining its focus on ending the war. "There are no guarantees that the US will honour its commitments," Baghaei said, adding that Tehran did not concern itself with "threats" from Washington.
The remarks reflect the fundamental trust deficit that continues to shadow the negotiations, probably rooted in the United States' 2018 withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action under US President Donald Trump's first term, a decision that left Iran deeply wary of entering any new binding arrangement with Washington.
Baghaei also offered the clearest official signal yet from Tehran about what these talks actually cover. "At this stage, we are not talking about the nuclear issue and our focus is on ending the war," he said, as reported by Al Jazeera.
The spokesperson credited third-party mediation for recent progress, saying the changes of the past several weeks had been brought about through efforts by Pakistan and other countries. He added that the talks included a clause addressing the ongoing conflict in Lebanon, broadening the framework beyond the direct U.S.-Iran military confrontation, Al Jazeera learnt.
Baghaei also suggested that Iran had exercised deliberate strategic patience throughout the conflict, saying Tehran had chosen the timing of its responses to the "enemy, as happened before".
The remarks come after President Trump posted on Truth Social that he anticipated a final agreement within days.
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