Iran obtains concessions through missiles, not dialogue: Tehran's top negotiator
Tehran, May 29
Iran obtains concessions with missiles not through dialogue, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf said on Friday.
"We obtain concessions not through dialogue, but with missiles; in negotiations, we merely make them understandable," Ghalibaf wrote on X.
Ghalibaf, Tehran's top negotiator in ongoing peace talks with Washington, noted that Iran has no trust in the other guarantees or words; only actions are the measure. While outlining Iran's approach to the ongoing negotiations with the United States aimed at ending the war, he said that no action will be taken before the other side acts.
He emphasised that "the winner of any agreement is the one who is better prepared for war from the day after."
Meanwhile, the Trump administration claimed that its campaign of military and economic pressure has succeeded in bringing Iran to the negotiating table on its nuclear programme, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arguing that Tehran is now discussing issues that previous US administrations could not get it to address.
Bessent told reporters at a White House news conference that recent developments marked a significant shift in Iran's position and suggested that Washington's strategy was producing results.
"President Trump has done something that no other administration is able to do," Bessent told reporters.
"We have gotten the Iranians to talk about their nuclear program and to perhaps commit to not having one."
The Trump administration has also laid down three non-negotiable conditions for any agreement with Iran, Bessent said, insisting that Tehran must surrender its highly enriched uranium, abandon any pursuit of a nuclear weapon and restore free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
"He's not going to take a bad deal. He's going to make a great deal for the American people," Bessent said.
Bessent also claimed that pressure on Tehran had disrupted the Iranian leadership's decision-making process.
"The Iranian government, such as it is, is three pillars. It is the elected government, it is the IRGC, and it is the clerics, and they are having trouble communicating," he said.
— IANS
Reader Comments
A bit ironic that the US, which has the biggest military budget on earth and has used force, is now lecturing Iran about this philosophy. Anyway, both sides are posturing, but at least someone is being direct about it.
"The winner of any agreement is the one who is better prepared for war" — that's a harsh line but not wrong. I just worry what this means for the Strait of Hormuz. For India, that's our oil lifeline. If things heat up there, we'll be stuck in the middle.
Honestly, as an Indian watching this, it's sad. All that money on missiles, all those sanctions, and what? The people of Iran suffer. I wish both sides would just talk like adults. But maybe that's naive.
Ghalibaf is saying the quiet part out loud. Every country does this, including India when we refused to join any alliance and built our own deterrent. The difference is Iran admits it's their primary strategy, while others pretend they're doing it for peace.
United States negotiating with Iran again feels like Groundhog Day. Both sides make big statements, nothing changes, then the next administration starts all over. Meanwhile, Indian companies that used to do business with Iran are still afraid of sanctions.
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