Iran has stated that a cease-fire memorandum with the U.S. is not yet finalized despite ongoing exchanges between the two nations [1, 2].
The dispute highlights the deep mistrust between Tehran and Washington, suggesting that a formal peace agreement remains fragile as both sides struggle to align on the terms of the conflict's end.
Esmaeil Baghai, a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said that while messages continue to be exchanged between the two countries, a final agreement has not been reached [2]. Iranian officials said Donald Trump mixed truth and falsehood to create the appearance of a political victory [1, 2].
Officials in Tehran said that the current negotiations are focused on ending the war rather than addressing nuclear issues [1, 2]. This distinction marks a shift in the diplomatic priority, moving away from the long-standing focus on nuclear proliferation to immediate hostilities.
Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiation team, said that Iran has historically gained concessions through missile actions rather than through dialogue [2]. He said that Iran trusts only concrete actions and not words or guarantees [2].
An unnamed senior Iranian official said that a final decision has not been reached because the U.S. is a fickle partner [2]. The Iranian leadership continues to maintain that the U.S. remains an unpredictable negotiating partner, which complicates the path toward a signed memorandum [1, 2].
“We trust only actions, not guarantees or words.”
The friction between the two governments indicates that while technical communications are active, there is a significant gap in trust. By prioritizing the end of the war over nuclear discussions and citing missile capability as their primary leverage, Iran is signaling that it views military deterrence as more effective than diplomatic assurances from the U.S. administration.
