It places the burden of the first move on the United States and frames the diplomatic track as something Iran grants rather than something it seeks.
Iran has set out the conditions under which it would enter a settlement and possible talks with the United States, according to remarks by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reported by TASS. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Araghchi said the conditions include lifting sanctions imposed following the Islamabad memorandum and reducing American forces in the region. He also called for the release of frozen Iranian assets and sanctions relief for the oil sector.
According to the account carried by TASS, Tehran will decide whether to pursue direct or indirect talks only once Washington accepts these conditions. That sequencing is significant. It places the burden of the first move on the United States and frames the diplomatic track as something Iran grants rather than something it seeks. The foreign minister's comments were made in Doha, where he was speaking to the Qatari broadcaster.
The reference to the Islamabad memorandum ties the demand to a specific sanctions package, though the source material does not describe the memorandum's terms or the measures that followed it. Nor does it specify which assets are frozen, their value, or where they are held. What the report does make clear is that Iran is treating the oil sector separately, seeking relief for an industry central to state revenue. A reduction in US forces in the region is the most politically charged of the conditions, touching on the American military posture across the Gulf and beyond.
The remarks matter because they define the gap that any negotiation would have to close. Sanctions relief, asset release and a military drawdown are far-reaching demands, and the report gives no indication that Washington has responded to them or is prepared to. Whether the conditions are a starting position or a fixed precondition is not stated. Nor is it known what the Islamabad memorandum entailed, what sanctions it triggered, or how the frozen assets are distributed. The source does not say when Araghchi made the comments, beyond the date of publication.
For now the report establishes Iran's stated terms and the mechanism it envisages: acceptance first, then a decision on the format of talks. It does not establish that any channel is open, that intermediaries are involved, or that the two sides are close to contact. Those questions remain unanswered in the material available.
