Iran has announced seven conditions for starting negotiations with the United States, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said, as Turkey and other countries stepped up efforts to end the war.
“Tehran’s message is clear and unambiguous; if Washington wants to escape the quagmire it has created for itself and avoid getting further entangled in it, it has no choice but to accept Iran’s rights and conditions,” Rezaei said in a post on X.
Speaking to Al Jazeera hours earlier, Rezaei said Tehran had conveyed its conditions for ending the war to the US through Qatar. The conditions he identified included an end to the war on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian assets and an end to the naval blockade.
The source does not specify the remaining four conditions.
Turkey sends proposals to Washington and Tehran
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey and other countries had proposed new conditions to the United States and Iran aimed at ending the war.
“Turkey and other countries are presenting proposals and are making every effort to bring the negotiations between the United States and Iran to a conclusion,” Fidan told Turkish broadcaster NTV.
Fidan said there was strong distrust between the two sides, adding that they had previously reached an agreement in Pakistan but subsequently encountered problems implementing it.
“Now both sides are clearly trying to advance this process in a way that will secure their interests,” he said.
Tehran says no US message expected from Pakistan visit
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, was due to visit Tehran on Sunday to meet senior Iranian officials.
Baghaei said there were no plans for Naqvi to deliver a specific US message connected to mediation efforts over the war.
“There are currently no signs of a message or proposal from the United States being conveyed,” Baghaei said on state television.
He said the main purpose of Naqvi’s visit was to follow up on previous agreements between Iran and Pakistan.
Iran disputes US claim over Hormuz oil shipments
Iran also disputed a claim by US Central Command that it had escorted tankers carrying more than a billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian armed forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi described the US claim as a “failed psychological operation” intended to boost US troop morale and justify the war’s financial and human costs, according to Fars news agency.
Centcom had also said it protected more than 2,000 commercial transits through the strait and cleared its main shipping lanes of mines, in addition to facilitating oil exports.
Separately, a committee of senior Iranian officials approved a rule requiring Tehran’s approval for data cables routed through the Strait of Hormuz. The measure, known as Article 10, will also cover other data communications equipment passing through the waterway, with further details to be set out in regulations.
Iran reports highest oil revenue in two years
Iran’s Plan and Budget Organisation reported that oil sales had reached their highest level in two years despite the US naval blockade.
According to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency, oil revenues exceeded $3 billion in September, marking the strongest monthly total recorded by the country in two years.
The report did not explain how Iran had evaded the US blockade to export its oil.
Baghaei defends Iran’s UN General Assembly attendance
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran would not abandon its right to attend the United Nations General Assembly, arguing that participation was a legal right rather than a privilege granted by Washington.
Speaking on a televised programme, Baghaei said Iran had a duty to attend the international gathering and make the rights of the Iranian people heard.
He also accused the US of using measures including delays and refusing visas for some Iranian delegation members to prevent their participation, according to IRNA.
Trump cuts short Camp David weekend
US President Donald Trump unexpectedly returned to the White House on Saturday after cutting short a weekend at Camp David as tensions rose in the Middle East.
The administration gave no explanation for the change in schedule, although the source noted that weekend presidential travel plans can change for reasons including weather.
The development came as the US State Department and several US embassies issued security alerts warning Americans in the Middle East of a “complex” security environment with the potential for “unforeseen escalation”.
The alerts said Iran and groups supportive of Tehran could target US interests overseas or locations associated with Americans, while warning of possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions.
