Iran says does not trust U.S. as Trump toughens terms

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - May 31, 2026 10:11 pm IST - Tehran Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf | Photo Credit: AFP PHOTO / HO /ISLAMIC CONSULTATIVE ASSEMBLY (ICANA) Iran's chief negotiator warned the United States is not to be trusted on Sunday (May 31, 2026), saying Tehran would not agree to any deal with Washington unless it fully secures Iranian rights. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's remarks came as reports emerged that U.S. President Donald Trump had sent a tougher peace proposal back to Iran, and underlined the rift that the parties still need to close. Any further tweaks to the draft could further delay an agreement to formally end the West Asia war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz after weeks of fraught negotiations marked by sharp rhetoric and occasional flare-ups of violence. Iran was already in negotiations with the United States about the fate of its nuclear programme in February, when the US and Israel launched air and missile strikes that wiped out much of the Islamic republic's senior leadership. And, while Tehran has long insisted that its nuclear programme is for purely civilian ends, the United States and its Western allies have long suspected it aims to develop a weapon. The New York Times and Axios reported on Saturday (May 31, 2026) that Mr. Trump had sent back a "tougher" new framework to be considered by Iran, though details remain unclear. Mr. Trump has said his priorities include stopping Iran from any nuclear weapon development and re-opening the Hormuz shipping lane, over which Iran has sought to impose control since the war began. "The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons. They've agreed to that, and it was very interesting," he told his daughter-in-law Lara Trump in an interview on her Fox News show. But Tehran has previously cast doubt on Mr. Trump's assertions and the sides remain far apart on key issues. "We will not approve any agreement until we are certain that the rights of the Iranian people have been upheld," Ghalibaf said, in a video broadcast on state television. According to the Tasnim news agency, "exchanges between Iran and the United States regarding the text of a possible memorandum of understanding are ongoing, with both parties regularly proposing amendments. "No agreement has yet been finalised, and it is possible that any agreement will be rejected," it said. Iran has said it needs the release of $12 billion in frozen assets before engaging in substantive talks on its nuclear program, dismissing earlier Mr. Trump comments that its enriched uranium stockpile would be destroyed as "baseless", according to Iranian media. Tehran has also insisted that Lebanon be included in any deal, despite ongoing fighting, with Beirut accusing Israel of a "scorched-earth policy" as it expands operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah. Though daily strikes throughout Iran and the Gulf halted after Tehran and Washington struck a temporary ceasefire in April and talks mediated by Pakistan, sporadic fighting has continued. Iran's Revolutionary Guards had shot down a U.S. military drone "about to enter Iranian territorial waters", Iran's state broadcaster IRIB reported, though Washington has not confirmed the incident. Earlier this week, the worst fighting since the ceasefire erupted when U.S. forces struck the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, prompting retaliatory fire from Iran. Nevertheless diplomacy has continued with Mr. Trump under pressure to secure a deal that would lift competing US and Iranian blockades around the Strait of Hormuz that have strangled a vital route for global oil supplies. After Mr. Trump said Iran would charge "no tolls" on ships passing through the strait under any deal, Iranian news agency Fars cited sources saying "no such clause" existed. Iran's ISNA news agency on Saturday (May 31, 2026) quoted lawmaker Alireza Salimi as saying a plan "to implement Iran's management and sovereignty" over the strait — which includes imposing "administrative fees" for navigation — would soon go before parliament. Israeli said on Sunday (May 31, 2026) that troops had also c

Iran says does not trust U.S. as Trump toughens terms

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Iran says does not trust U.S. as Trump toughens terms

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