Progress has been made in talks with Washington, but gaps remain over nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says

Iran will not yield to US pressure, parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said. He stressed that progress has been made in the negotiations, though fundamental issues are still unresolved.

The first round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad took place last weekend in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Following the negotiations, US President Donald Trump announced a blockade of Iranian ports and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles around 25% of the global crude oil trade.

On Friday, Iran opened the waterway for all commercial vessels, framing the move as part of ceasefire arrangements linked to the Israel-Lebanon truce and broader regional de-escalation efforts. The strait was, however, closed again the following day after Trump said the US blockade of Iranian ports would remain in full force until a peace deal is reached.

"We will stand to the end," Ghalibaf said, speaking in a televised address aired early Sunday.

He reiterated that the Iranian delegation went to Islamabad "with goodwill but amid deep distrust," stressing that Tehran remains prepared for war if necessary.

"We are still far from a final agreement," Ghalibaf said, urging the US to earn the trust of the Iranian people. "Overall, I can say that there has been progress in the negotiations, but the gaps remain significant and some fundamental issues are still unresolved."

Ghalibaf also said the US is planning to infiltrate Iran through waves of unrest from its western and eastern borders, adding that attempts at regime change and the "Venezuelization" of Iran - aimed at selling the country's oil - have failed.

"It is clear that the enemy was defeated, but this is different from saying that we destroyed its army," he said.

On Saturday, Trump told reporters that "very good conversations" are taking place, but stressed that he won't let Iran "blackmail" the US over the Strait of Hormuz.

(RT.com)