Iran war: Tehran sets 7 conditions for resuming talks with US – what are the demands? Will the US attack the Houthis? What we know | Today’s news
Iran has announced seven conditions for opening any talks with the US as the war in the Middle East continues to affect energy supplies.
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said in a post on X on Saturday: “Iran has announced 7 conditions for starting any negotiations with the US government.”
He said: “Tehran’s message is clear and unequivocal; if Washington wants to escape the quagmire it has created for itself and avoid being further entangled in it, it has no choice but to accept Iran’s rights and conditions.”
What did Iran demand?
While Rezaei did not list all seven demands in the post, he told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Tehran was demanding an end to the war “on all fronts”, the release of frozen Iranian assets and an end to the US naval blockade as conditions for the settlement.
“Our conditions include the release of our frozen assets. Second, they must announce an end to the war on all fronts – refrain from interfering in our internal affairs, stop cooperating with opponents of our revolution, stop any form of aggression against our territory and lift the naval blockade,” Rezaei said.
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He said a Qatari mediator had conveyed Iran’s terms to Washington and that Tehran was awaiting Trump’s response.
“The respected government of Qatar, as well as the respected government of Pakistan, are currently in constant consultation with us. There are constant contacts and meetings going on. We have informed them of our conditions – and the Americans themselves are aware of our conditions as well…and we are waiting for the Americans to accept and implement them,” Rezaei said.
The Iranian official added: “America must first implement our conditions and only then can negotiations follow.”
On Iran’s nuclear doctrine
Rezaei told Al Jazeera that Iran remains “committed to the fatwa of our martyred Imam (Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini) and our position has not changed until today, but we do not know what will happen in the future…”
He added: “We are now considering whether to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. That depends on America’s behavior.”
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About the Houthi-Saudi Arabia conflict
Rezaei also said that Iran wants to end the war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and believes that the Yemeni side is also seeking an agreement with Riyadh.
“We really want to end the war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen… if they also ask for our help, we are fully ready to help achieve peace between Yemen and Saudi Arabia,” Rezaei told Al Jazeera.
Iran’s statement came as the Saudi-led coalition said Saturday that Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh at dawn after a fire broke out near the Saudi capital’s international airport.
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Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed the ballistic missile, the Saudi-led coalition said. The Houthis, according to the account provided, said they targeted “sensitive sites,” but did not specify locations.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government condemned Saturday’s attacks on Riyadh “in the strongest terms” and called them a “flagrant violation” of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty.
The State Department blamed the Houthis for the attacks and also accused Tehran of continuing to provide military support to the group.
It said Iranian support allows the Houthis to continue attacks “in the service of their regional agenda”.
Trump cuts his weekend short and returns to the White House
As tensions rose in the Middle East, US President Donald Trump cut short his weekend at Camp David to make a surprise return to the White House on Saturday.
The development comes as his administration considers its next steps in the Iran war.
The administration has received no explanation why Trump did not return from Camp David, the remote presidential compound in rural Maryland, on Sunday, as previously reported, AFP reported.
Trump arrived at Camp David late Friday and was originally scheduled to stay there until Sunday.
It’s not unusual for White House travel to change on weekends, including due to weather. Forecasts called for rain and thunderstorms in the Camp David Hill Country on Sunday.
Could the US get involved militarily in the Houthi-Saudi conflict in Yemen?
CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas said in a post on X that he was told Trump’s meeting at Camp David was to “discuss and review options for an attack in Yemen.”
He claimed that US embassies in Middle Eastern countries were likely to face retaliatory strikes and subsequently issued a warning.
“As I said last night, it was said that the POTUS meeting at Camp David was to discuss and review options for a strike in Yemen. Today, US embassies issued warnings to countries in the Middle East likely to be targeted for retaliatory strikes. Now POTUS is heading to the White House soon,” Plitsas said in a post.
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The development comes after Axios reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) called President Trump twice on Thursday, urging him to launch strikes against the Houthis as the Iran-backed group moved closer to a vital Red Sea choke point.
“Trump declined, and U.S. officials emphasized that the administration has no plans yet to take direct action against the Houthis,” sources told Axios.
According to reports, oil prices surged as the Houthis seized a strategic coastal city in Yemen, bringing them closer to the Bab al-Mandab Strait – a vital artery for global trade and Saudi oil exports.
With Iran already disrupting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Houthi control of Bab al-Mandab could give Tehran powerful new leverage over the US and its Gulf allies.
Former US diplomat William Lawrence told Al Jazeera that Washington is likely to get involved in the conflict despite Trump reportedly rejecting a Saudi request to attack the Houthis.
“I think they will at some point,” Lawrence told Al Jazeera. “They have shown in the past that they are willing to engage in Yemen when it affects their own interests,” he added.
He pointed to the connection between the conflicts in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb with the global economy, as well as the security commitments of the US to Saudi Arabia.
Trump is also preparing for the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where the Iran war and efforts to end the conflict are expected to be a major topic.
Lawrence said there has been growing sentiment in Washington over the past few days that the US “needs to do something” to help protect Saudi Arabia and prevent the Houthis from consolidating their gains.
“What form that takes is not clear,” he said.
