Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is already conditioning compliance with the Trump administration’s newly-signed memorandum of understanding, telling Washington that Tehran will only honor the deal “if the American side adheres to the agreement.”
The regime’s hedging came Monday as both sides prepared for high-level talks in Doha after Iran launched weekend attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz — attacks that briefly threatened to collapse the ceasefire framework signed just weeks ago.
“Mutual understanding is a two-way street. If the American side adheres to the agreement, we will also fulfill our commitments.”
Pezeshkian wrote the statement on X while simultaneously warning that Iran remains prepared to “defend decisively and fearlessly when it comes time to act” against what he called “unreasonable saber-rattling and baseless threats.”
President Trump announced Monday that Iran had requested another meeting in Doha, scheduled for Tuesday, after the weekend flare-up in the Strait.
“Iran has requested a meeting. It will take place tomorrow in Doha!” Trump wrote on Truth Social before telling reporters in the Oval Office the discussions would be “perhaps important, perhaps not.”
Trump made clear the administration’s objective remains unchanged despite Iran’s weekend violations.
“We are winning militarily. It’s almost won militarily, I would say,” Trump said. “It’s really very simple. It’s the denuclearization of Iran. We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon, and they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. And they’ve agreed to that, in all fairness.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Doha for the high-level meetings, with technical discussions scheduled on the sidelines.
Leavitt said the administration has upheld its commitments under the ceasefire while making clear that further Iranian attacks will be met with military force.
“As far as we’re concerned, we’re holding up our end of the ceasefire. Violence will be met with violence,” she said, adding that while the U.S. had responded to attacks on commercial shipping, “the president obviously wants to see the peace process play out.”
Iran publicly denied that direct negotiations are scheduled, contradicting Washington’s announcement.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said an Iranian expert delegation would travel to Doha to discuss implementation but insisted Tehran has “not yet entered the stage of negotiating a final agreement” and that “over the coming days, we will not have any negotiation meetings with the U.S. side at any level.”
Senior Iranian negotiator Kazem Gharibabadi likewise said reports of technical team meetings in Doha were “not confirmed.”
The renewed diplomatic push came after Iran launched attacks against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, prompting two rounds of U.S. retaliatory strikes against Iranian military targets.
Trump warned that continued Iranian ceasefire violations could force the United States to “militarily complete the job,” cautioning that the Islamic Republic “will no longer exist” if Washington is compelled to launch a broader military campaign.
Iran responded to the U.S. strikes by launching missile and drone attacks targeting U.S.-linked sites in Bahrain and Kuwait while accusing Washington of violating the memorandum.
The memorandum, signed earlier this month, established a 60-day framework for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, restoring commercial shipping through the strategic waterway, and beginning broader negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, frozen assets, and other outstanding issues.
Tuesday’s discussions are expected to focus on implementation of the agreement, even as Washington and Tehran continue to characterize the scope of the talks differently.
The charges remain allegations. The case has not been proven in court.
