Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sets Tough Conditions While Trump Announces Signing Date

When the White House announced that President Donald Trump would put a date on the table for signing a new nuclear accord with Iran, the reaction from Tehran was anything but celebratory. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Mojtaba Zolqadr, used the occasion to lay out a laundry‑list of demands that, according to him, must be met before any deal could be signed.

“We will not rush into a deal that compromises our sovereignty,” Zolqadr said in a press briefing that felt more like a diplomatic showdown than a routine statement. He stressed that any agreement must include an immediate lifting of all U.S. sanctions, a guarantee that Iranian nuclear facilities will never be used for weaponisation, and a clear roadmap for the return of frozen assets.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, the Trump administration was busy setting a calendar. Inside the Oval Office, advisers were reportedly pinning a specific date on the signing ceremony – a move meant to signal momentum and perhaps pressure Iran into bending. The contrast was stark: Washington pushing forward with a timeline, Tehran pushing back with conditions.

Experts note that this disconnect isn’t just a matter of wording. The United States has hinted that it wants a broader “regional” component to the deal, tying Iran’s nuclear programme to its involvement in Syria, Yemen and Iraq. Iran, on the other hand, sees that as an unwanted expansion of the negotiation scope, one that could jeopardise its regional influence.

In short, both sides appear to be speaking past each other. While Trump’s team seems eager to showcase a diplomatic victory, Iran’s deputy foreign minister is reminding the world that without satisfying Tehran’s core demands, any signature would be merely symbolic. The next weeks could determine whether the two nations find common ground or simply continue their diplomatic dance without ever meeting in the middle.