Iran has rejected renewed calls for negotiations with the United States, declaring that there will be “no talks” until Tehran’s conditions are met, deepening uncertainty over efforts to end the escalating Middle East conflict.
A top Iranian security official, Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued the warning on Tuesday in a post on X, responding to remarks by US President Donald Trump on Monday, September 14, 2026.
Trump had said Tehran was seeking a deal with Washington “quickly and badly” and suggested that the United States could resume negotiations with Iran.
“The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
But Rezaei urged Iranians not to be distracted by what he described as Trump’s conflicting messages, pointing to what he characterised as Washington’s shift between rejecting negotiations and expressing readiness to return to the negotiating table.
He warned that the situation had changed significantly, particularly around oil and the strategic waterways through which vital energy supplies move.
“The stakes around oil and the straits have changed. Damage control won’t stop what’s coming,” Rezaei said.
He then issued a blunt condition for any diplomatic engagement with Washington:
“No talks until Iran’s conditions are met. Period!”
The latest exchange highlights the widening gap between Washington and Tehran at a time when diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain uncertain.
The United States and Iran had previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on June 18 aimed at ending the conflict in the region on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Under the agreement, the two countries were expected to begin negotiations within 60 days, with the deadline falling on August 17, to work towards a final agreement.
However, the planned negotiations have yet to produce a clear outcome, with the diplomatic process clouded by a series of renewed escalations between the two countries.
Trump’s latest comments appeared to signal Washington’s willingness to reopen negotiations, but Tehran’s response suggests that any immediate return to talks could face significant obstacles.
With Iran now insisting that its conditions must be met before negotiations can resume, uncertainty remains over whether the United States and Iran can revive the diplomatic process or whether further confrontation will follow.
The standoff also places renewed attention on oil supplies and the region’s strategic waterways, with any further escalation potentially carrying consequences beyond the immediate conflict.
For now, the message from Tehran is unequivocal: Iran says the door to talks with the US will remain closed until its conditions are satisfied.
