Iran Sets Conditions for Talks as Rezaei Rejects Trump’s Mixed Signals

TEHRAN: Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Major General Mohsen Rezaei has rejected what he described as mixed signals from US President Donald Trump, saying Tehran will not enter negotiations until its conditions are fully met.

In a post on X on Monday night, Rezaei said Washington’s conflicting statements should not distract attention from what he described as changing realities surrounding oil and the strategic waterways.

He stressed that Iran’s position on negotiations remained firm, adding that there would be “no talks until Iran’s conditions are met.”

Rezaei’s remarks came hours after Trump posted on Truth Social that “Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly.”

Trump also said he would decide whether the United States would engage with Tehran, while indicating that Washington remained open to the possibility of negotiations.

The statement contrasted with Trump’s previous remarks in August, when he said there were no talks or discussions with Iran, either ongoing or scheduled.

On the same occasion, Trump said the US naval blockade remained in place and described the Strait of Hormuz as open and operating.

Trump’s son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner, however, said that conversations with Iran were probably more extensive than they had been previously.

Iranian officials have repeatedly dismissed contradictory statements from Washington as political messaging rather than evidence of a genuine diplomatic opening.

Rezaei, a former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, has maintained that Iran’s position regarding the Strait of Hormuz remains unchanged.

According to the Iranian position, any change in the status of the waterway would depend on specific conditions being met by the United States.

Rezaei has previously said Iran wants Washington to end the war and naval blockade, release frozen Iranian assets and support a broader regional ceasefire, including in Lebanon and Gaza.

Tehran has also stressed that any future diplomatic process would require concrete guarantees rather than verbal commitments.

Iranian officials have argued that previous US reversals have undermined trust and that Washington must demonstrate its intentions through actions.

The dispute over negotiations is closely linked to the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a major share of global energy shipments normally passes.

Iran has maintained that the security and operation of the waterway cannot be separated from the broader military and economic confrontation with Washington.

Rezaei’s latest remarks suggest that Tehran is not prepared to resume negotiations simply in response to changing statements from the White House.

For now, Iran’s position remains that dialogue can resume only after its stated conditions are addressed, leaving the possibility of renewed US-Iran talks uncertain.