Iran has announced seven conditions for starting any negotiations with the US as the war in the Middle East continues to impact energy supply.
Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said Saturday in a post on X, “Iran has announced 7 conditions for starting any negotiations with the US government.”
He said, “Tehran’s message is clear and unambiguous; if Washington wants to escape the quagmire it has created for itself and avoid getting further entangled in it, it has no choice but to accept Iran’s rights and conditions.”
While Rezaei did not spell out 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 a settlement.
“Our conditions include the release of our frozen assets. Secondly, 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, halt any form of aggression against our territory, and lift the naval blockade,” Rezaei was quoted as saying.
He said a Qatari mediator had conveyed Iran’s terms to Washington and that Tehran was awaiting Trump’s response.
“The respected Qatari government, as well as the respected Pakistani government, are currently engaged in continuous consultations with us. There are ongoing contacts and meetings. 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 implement our conditions first, and only then can negotiations follow.”
Rezaei told Al Jazeera that Iran remains “committed to the fatwa of our martyred Imam [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini], and our position has not changed to this day, but we do not know what will happen in the future…”
He added, “We are now considering whether or not we will withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty. This depends on America’s conduct.”
Rezaei also said Iran wants an end to the war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and believes the Yemeni side also seeks an agreement with Riyadh.
“We genuinely want to end the war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen…if they also ask for our help, we are fully prepared to help achieve peace between Yemen and Saudi Arabia,” Rezaei told Al Jazeera.
Iran’s statement came as the Saudi-led coalition said on Saturday that the 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.
Saudi Arabia’s air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile, the Saudi-led coalition said. The Houthis, according to the account provided, said they had targeted “sensitive sites” but did not specify the locations.
Yemen’s internationally-recognised government condemned Saturday’s attacks on Riyadh “in the strongest terms,” describing them as a “blatant violation” of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty.
The Foreign Ministry held the Houthis responsible for the attacks and also accused Tehran of continuing to provide the group with military support.
It said Iranian support was enabling the Houthis to continue attacks “in service of its regional agenda.”
As tensions rose in the Middle East, US President Donald Trump cut short a weekend at Camp David to return unexpectedly to the White House on Saturday.
The development comes as his administration weighs its next steps in the Iran war.
There was no explanation from the administration why Trump was no longer returning on Sunday from Camp David, a secluded presidential complex in rural Maryland, as had been previously announced, AFP reported.
Trump had arrived at Camp David late Friday and was originally scheduled to remain there until Sunday.
It is not uncommon for White House travel to change on weekends, including for weather reasons. Forecasts showed rain and thunderstorms in the hilly Camp David area on Sunday.
CNN National Security Analyst Alex Plitsas said in a post on X that he had been told Trump’s meeting at Camp David was intended to “deliberate and review Yemen strike options.”
He claimed that US embassies across Middle Eastern countries were likely to face retaliatory strikes and had subsequently issued warnings.
“As I said last night was told that the POTUS meeting at Camp David was to deliberate and review Yemen strike options. Today, U.S. embassies in Middle Eastern countries that are likely to be targets of retaliatory strikes issued warnings. Now POTUS head to the White House early,” Plitsas said in the post.
The development came after Axios reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) called President Trump twice Thursday, urging him to launch strikes against the Houthis as the Iran-backed group closed in on a vital Red Sea chokepoint.
“Trump declined, and US officials stressed the administration has no plans to intervene directly against the Houthis for now,” sources told Axios.
According to reports, oil prices surged as the Houthis seized a strategic coastal city in Yemen, pushing 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 a powerful new point of 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 declining a Saudi request to attack the Houthis.
“I think they will at some point,” Lawrence told Al Jazeera. “They’ve shown in the past they’re willing to engage on Yemen when it affects their own interests,” he added.
He pointed to the link between the conflicts in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb to the global economy, as well as US security commitments to Saudi Arabia.
Trump is also preparing for the UN General Assembly in New York, where the Iran war and efforts to end the conflict are expected to be a major focus.
Lawrence was quoted as saying that there was a growing view in Washington in the last couple of 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.
