negotiations until Washington takes steps to rebuild trust. "Not even a tiny bit of enriched nuclear material will leave Iran", Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said according to state TV, describing the stockpile as a major asset and national wealth intended for domestic use. Munir is in Tehran as part of a renewed effort to mediate between Iran and the United States. President Masoud Pezeshkian told him that dialogue is only possible after threats and sanctions are removed.

"Today, our nation does not trust America. It believes that if we enter the negotiations, they will attack us again", Pezeshkian said. Parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf echoed that position, saying the US cannot regain Iran's trust unless it meets seven conditions, and that threats and military maneuvers will not influence Iran's strategic decisions. Iran has demanded, among other things, a ceasefire across the Middle East, the unfreezing of its assets abroad, and the lifting of sanctions on its oil sector.

The conflict erupted in late February when the US and Israel launched surprise attacks on Iran during nuclear negotiations. A memorandum of understanding reached in June collapsed quickly, and recent indirect talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly failed to break the impasse. Tehran has previously said it would not hand over its 60%-enriched uranium - close to the 90% weapons threshold - but had signaled openness to diluting it within Iran. Washington and its allies, which accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, maintain wide-ranging sanctions that Tehran says are unjustified. (Bssnews)