Iran sets seven conditions for US talks, warns Trump of defeat if war resumes

Iran has ruled out reopening the Strait of Hormuz or resuming negotiations with the United States until Washington fulfils seven conditions laid down by Tehran, placing the responsibility for reviving diplomacy firmly on the Trump administration.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran had communicated its position and demands to Washington but was still waiting for an official and specific response. Speaking to Al Jazeera, he insisted that the United States must decide whether it is prepared to meet Iran's conditions.

“The ball is now in the Americans’ court, and they must make a decision and announce it,” Ghalibaf said.

He also warned US President Donald Trump against launching another military operation against Iran, saying: “If Trump decides to go to war again, he will face another defeat.”

Ghalibaf, who is leading Iran's negotiating team, said the seven conditions were the minimum requirements for Tehran to consider further negotiations. He has also indicated that Iran wants to end the prolonged situation of neither war nor peace through a lasting arrangement rather than return to the conditions that existed before the conflict.

Tehran denies ongoing negotiations with Washington

Iran's senior security official Mohsen Rezaei separately said there were no negotiations currently taking place between Tehran and Washington.

In an interview with Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV, Rezaei said Iran was waiting for a clear and explicit response from the US to its demands. He dismissed reports of continuing negotiations or an imminent meeting between the two sides, maintaining that Washington had yet to address Tehran's conditions adequately.

His remarks followed Trump's meeting with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday. Qatar has been playing a key mediating role between the two countries, with its diplomatic efforts aimed at bridging differences and finding a way to end the conflict.

Trump played down the prospect of another major military operation against Iran, suggesting that further escalation was not necessary. However, he did not accept Tehran's existing truce proposal, leaving the diplomatic process at an impasse.

Qatar's mediation efforts have continued, with regional partners also involved in attempts to bring Washington and Tehran closer. Pakistan has been among the countries involved in facilitating communication between the two sides.

Iran threatens to strike US bases beyond the Middle East

Rezaei also issued a warning that any American military installation used to launch attacks against Iran could become a target, even if it is located outside the Middle East.

“If American aircraft take off from an American military base, even one located in a European country or some other distant region, to bomb Iran, we will strike those bases as well,” he told Al-Mayadeen.

He said Tehran could expand its list of targets to include distant US military facilities and islands that Washington believes are beyond the range of Iranian missiles.

The warning comes amid continuing tensions over the possibility of renewed American military action. Iranian officials have repeatedly said that any fresh attack would invite retaliation, while insisting that the country would not accept negotiations on terms dictated by Washington.

What are Iran's seven conditions?

Tehran has not publicly released the complete list of its seven conditions. However, statements by Iranian officials and details reported about the proposal indicate that its demands cover economic relief, security guarantees and an end to hostilities across the region.

They include:

- The removal of US sanctions against Iran.

- The release of Iranian assets frozen overseas.

- An end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.

- Compensation for damage caused by the war.

- An end to fighting across regional fronts, including the conflict involving Lebanon.

- The withdrawal of US military forces from the region.

- An end to threats and interference against Iran, alongside a formal arrangement to end the war.

Iran has maintained that the conditions must be addressed before it agrees to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or return to negotiations.

According to The Associated Press, Tehran's proposal envisages reopening the strategic waterway on the sixth day after the US fulfils its demands, with negotiations on a final agreement beginning the following day. Other accounts of the proposal describe a compressed two-day implementation process, with mediators discussing how the initial measures could be carried out.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has also said that the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened within two days if Washington meets Tehran's demands.

Strait of Hormuz remains central to the standoff

The dispute over the waterway has become one of the biggest obstacles to ending the conflict. The Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and Oman, is a crucial international shipping route through which a substantial share of the world's oil and gas supplies passed before the war.

Ghalibaf has indicated that the waterway will not simply return to its pre-war arrangements. He said Iran and Oman had reached an understanding on overseeing the strait as part of Tehran's proposal, suggesting that any reopening could involve a different framework for regulating maritime traffic.

The standoff therefore extends beyond the question of a ceasefire, with Tehran seeking changes to the security and economic arrangements surrounding the waterway.

For now, Iran says it is waiting for Washington to respond formally to its seven conditions. With the US unwilling to accept Tehran's existing proposal and Iranian officials ruling out talks until their demands are met, prospects for an immediate diplomatic breakthrough remain uncertain.