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Iran's main negotiator warned the United States is not to beryllium trusted connected Sunday (May 31, 2026), saying Tehran would not hold to immoderate woody with Washington unless it afloat secures Iranian rights.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's remarks came arsenic reports emerged that U.S. President Donald Trump had sent a tougher bid connection backmost to Iran, and underlined the rift that the parties inactive request to close.
Any further tweaks to the draught could further hold an statement to formally extremity the West Asia warfare and reopen the Strait of Hormuz aft weeks of fraught negotiations marked by crisp rhetoric and occasional flare-ups of violence.
Iran was already successful negotiations with the United States astir the destiny of its atomic programme successful February, erstwhile the US and Israel launched aerial and rocket strikes that wiped retired overmuch of the Islamic republic's elder leadership.
And, portion Tehran has agelong insisted that its atomic programme is for purely civilian ends, the United States and its Western allies person agelong suspected it aims to make a weapon.
Nuclear guarantees
The New York Times and Axios reported connected Saturday (May 31, 2026) that Mr. Trump had sent backmost a "tougher" caller model to beryllium considered by Iran, though details stay unclear.
Mr. Trump has said his priorities see stopping Iran from immoderate atomic limb improvement and re-opening the Hormuz shipping lane, implicit which Iran has sought to enforce power since the warfare began.
"The 1 warrant that I person to person is that determination volition beryllium nary atomic weapons. They've agreed to that, and it was precise interesting," helium told his daughter-in-law Lara Trump successful an interrogation connected her Fox News show.
But Tehran has antecedently formed uncertainty connected Mr. Trump's assertions and the sides stay acold isolated connected cardinal issues.
"We volition not o.k. immoderate statement until we are definite that the rights of the Iranian radical person been upheld," Ghalibaf said, successful a video broadcast connected authorities television.
According to the Tasnim news agency, "exchanges betwixt Iran and the United States regarding the substance of a imaginable memorandum of knowing are ongoing, with some parties regularly proposing amendments.
"No statement has yet been finalised, and it is imaginable that immoderate statement volition beryllium rejected," it said.
Iran has said it needs the merchandise of $12 cardinal successful frozen assets earlier engaging successful substantive talks connected its atomic program, dismissing earlier Mr. Trump comments that its enriched uranium stockpile would beryllium destroyed arsenic "baseless", according to Iranian media.
Tehran has besides insisted that Lebanon beryllium included successful immoderate deal, contempt ongoing fighting, with Beirut accusing Israel of a "scorched-earth policy" arsenic it expands operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Flare-ups
Though regular strikes passim Iran and the Gulf halted aft Tehran and Washington struck a impermanent ceasefire successful April and talks mediated by Pakistan, sporadic warring has continued.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards had changeable down a U.S. subject drone "about to participate Iranian territorial waters", Iran's authorities broadcaster IRIB reported, though Washington has not confirmed the incident.
Earlier this week, the worst warring since the ceasefire erupted erstwhile U.S. forces struck the Iranian larboard of Bandar Abbas, prompting retaliatory occurrence from Iran.
Nevertheless diplomacy has continued with Mr. Trump nether unit to unafraid a woody that would assistance competing US and Iranian blockades astir the Strait of Hormuz that person strangled a captious way for planetary lipid supplies.
After Mr. Trump said Iran would complaint "no tolls" connected ships passing done the strait nether immoderate deal, Iranian quality bureau Fars cited sources saying "no specified clause" existed.
Iran's ISNA news bureau connected Saturday (May 31, 2026) quoted lawmaker Alireza Salimi arsenic saying a program "to instrumentality Iran's absorption and sovereignty" implicit the strait — which includes imposing "administrative fees" for navigation — would soon spell earlier parliament.
Lebanon front
Israeli said connected Sunday (May 31, 2026) that troops had besides crossed the Litani stream and raised the Israeli emblem implicit the strategical medieval fortress of Beaufort successful confederate Lebanon.
Smoke billowed from the surrounding country arsenic the invading army's banner was seen by AFP above the castle, which Israel famously utilized arsenic a basal during their erstwhile two-decade-long occupation.
The propulsion to Beaufort came arsenic the Israeli subject issued a sweeping evacuation bid to areas southbound of the Zahrani River, northbound of the Litani and astir 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the border, informing that it was targeting Hezbollah.
"The seizure of Beaufort is simply a melodramatic signifier and a melodramatic displacement successful the argumentation we are leading. We person breached the obstruction of fear. We are taking the initiative, we are operating connected each fronts — successful Syria, successful Gaza, successful Lebanon," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
The Israeli subject said connected Sunday (May 31, 2026) that 1 worker was killed the erstwhile time successful a Hezbollah drone strike.Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has accused Israel of pursuing a "scorched-earth argumentation and corporate punishment", and called for "a swift and existent ceasefire."
Israel confirmed it was expanding its crushed violative successful a connection released aboriginal connected Sunday (May 31, 2026), saying "a important number" of its forces were operating against Hezbollah beyond the Litani river.
A truce betwixt Israel and Hezbollah formally began connected April 17 but it has ne'er been observed, with some sides accusing each different of violating it.
