Iran’s top negotiator says Tehran has no desire for war to continue

Iran’s parliament speaker and lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Tehran does not want its war with the United States to continue and that the next move on peace talks rests with Washington. He said an agreement is possible if the US honours previous understandings and avoids actions that erode trust or make excessive demands.

In an Al Jazeera interview on Wednesday, Ghalibaf said Iran had sent the Trump administration a clear response setting out its demands but had not received a reply. He said Tehran seeks to end the “no war, no peace” situation through negotiations or sustainable deterrence, and accused Washington of restricting food, trade and healthcare access. He also said the Strait of Hormuz would not return to its pre-war status, with its future to be decided under a seven-point Iranian proposal, and claimed the US had asked Vladimir Putin to help facilitate direct talks.