Iran's top negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, told Pakistani army chief Asim Munir during talks in Tehran on Saturday that the US was not an honest party in negotiations to end their war and Iran would not compromise on its national rights, state television reported.
A regional mediation push led by Pakistan aims to narrow differences between Iran and the US after weeks of war that have left the vital waterway of the Strait of Hormuz closed to most shipping despite a nervous ceasefire, upending global energy markets.
Iranian state media reported that Munir had also met President Masoud Pezeshkian in the presence of foreign minister Abbas Araqchi, with whom he had two meetings, before flying out.
The talks reportedly centred on a 14-point document proposed by Iran, which it considers the main framework for the discussions, and messages exchanged between the two sides.
Ghalibaf said Iran would pursue its "legitimate rights", both on the battlefield and through diplomacy, but added that it could not trust "a party that has no honesty at all", an allegation Iran has made several times before.
He said Iran's armed forces had rebuilt their capabilities during the ceasefire and that, if the United States "foolishly restarts the war", the consequences would be "more forceful and bitter" than at the start of the conflict.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the United States has seen some progress towards a deal but that more work was required, while Iran's foreign ministry said the differences remained deep and significant.
Despite weeks of conflict, Iran has preserved its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium as well as missile, drone and proxy capabilities that the United States and Israel say they aim to curb.
Iran insists Hormuz deal with coastal states, not US
Iran said on Saturday that any mechanism concerning the Strait of Hormuz should be agreed between Iran, Oman and the countries bordering the waterway, and that the United States "has nothing to do" with it.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also said Iran was focused on finalising a memorandum of understanding through Pakistani-mediated talks between Tehran and Washington, according to Iran's state media
