Iran says no final understanding with US yet, rejects Trump’s ‘language of must’
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday that message exchanges with Washington continue, but no final understanding has been reached, dismissing any notion that Tehran takes orders from abroad.
“We said goodbye to the language of ‘must’ 47 years ago,” Esmaeil Baghaei told state television on Friday. “None of the Western parties can use the language of ‘must’ when they talk about the Islamic Republic of Iran. We make our own decisions based on the interests and rights of the Iranian nation.”
His remarks came hours after US President Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social that the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz was being lifted. He also claimed that a decision on an agreement with Iran will be taken soon.
Baghaei called the American maritime measures “illegal from the start.” He said they violated both the ceasefire that took effect on April 8 and international freedom of navigation.
“We have to see in practice whether they will actually follow through on their words or if this is just a propaganda claim,” he said. “If they do it, it means stopping a wrongful action they started weeks ago and should never have committed in the first place.”
Iran shut down the Strait to its enemies and their allies after the unprovoked US-Israeli aggression, which started on February 28 and continued for 40 days. Iranian authorities began enforcing much stricter controls last month following Trump’s announcement of a blockade targeting Iranian vessels and ports.
Tehran says the measures violate the terms of the ceasefire and was later extended unilaterally by Washington.
Indirect talks between Iran and the US, mediated by Pakistan and facilitated by Qatar, continue based on the Islamic Republic’s 14-point proposal. The aim is a memorandum to end the US-Israeli-imposed war, halt American maritime aggression, and secure the release of Iran’s blocked assets.
Baghaei stressed that the Strait of Hormuz lies within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. “We are facing a special situation that we cannot ignore this experience,” he said.
“Certainly Iran and Oman, as two responsible countries, must adopt mechanisms that preserve their national interests and security as coastal states and also give the international community assurance that shipping through this route is conducted safely,” he added. “This is self-evident.”
Baghaei noted that Iran is focused on ending the war at this stage. “Regarding the nuclear issue, we have no negotiations,” he said.
