Iranian Official Says Ceasefire With US Never Began Amid Ongoing Tensions

A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday that Iran does not expect to extend the ceasefire agreement with the United States, which ended the war initiated by Washington alongside Israel. The official stated, "From our perspective, there is no ceasefire to extend because it never started. The US violated the agreement 48 hours after it was reached and withdrew from it a few days later." He added that one topic in ongoing negotiations is the US returning to the memorandum of understanding, despite his earlier claim that no ceasefire led to the talks, but noted "no progress has been made." He emphasized that discussions are not focused on extending the ceasefire between the parties.

Two days prior, former US President Donald Trump renewed threats against Tehran on his social media platform Truth Social, responding to Iran's demand for reparations for war damages. Trump called the idea "interesting" and demanded compensation from Iran for the deaths and injuries it caused, including to hundreds of thousands of protesters killed over the past 50 years and 52,000 in the last five months. He instructed his representatives to insist on this in negotiations and highlighted that Iran's demand for reparations was never mentioned in talks. Trump also held Iran responsible for damage and deaths in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza.

The memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, which the Iranian official said is under discussion, includes a clause committing the US and regional partners to develop a $300 billion economic reconstruction plan for Iran. This plan's implementation mechanism was to be finalized within 60 days, with the US granting all necessary licenses and approvals for related financial transactions.

Earlier, Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, former secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, outlined Iran's conditions for an agreement. He pledged that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless the US corrected its behavior and set demands including an end to US threats, cessation of hostilities against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq, lifting the naval blockade on Iranian ports, withdrawal of US naval and air forces near Iran, reparations for damages from two wars against Iran, removal of sanctions, and unconditional release of frozen Iranian assets.