Iran says it is making progress in negotiations with the US, but the final agreement is still a long way off

Iranian Parliament President Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf has stated that negotiations with the US have "made progress," but has warned that the final agreement remains "far away" three days after the end of the ceasefire agreed by both sides.

"We have come to an understanding on some issues, but not on others, and new proposals have been put forward. We are still far from the final agreement," Qalibaf said in an interview with state television.

The Iranian president, who led his country's delegation during last weekend's talks in Islamabad, said there are still differences between Tehran and Washington on two issues, including Iran's nuclear program and thestrategic strait of Ormuz eko .

Qalibaf has stressed that the US must "gain confidence" in Iran if it wants to move toward an agreement, and has criticized Washington's unilateral approach to the negotiation process.

"Our policy is to move forward step by step. It cannot be that we fulfil our commitments and they do not. If there is an agreement, every step we take must be completed with one of them, "he said.

With regard to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the head of the Iranian parliament has confirmed that the passage will be restricted while the US has blocked Iranian ports.

"The Strait of Hormuz is a road to be used by all the countries and peoples of the world. We're aware of that. We're not the United States, we don't want to take everything, "Qalibaf added.

From the White House, Donald Trump yesterday stressed that he does not accept blackmail from Iran, referring to the closure of Hormuz, and pointed out that the ceasefire may not be extended and will end on Wednesday if no peace agreement is reached.

The US president warned that  couldstart bombing Iran again.

Nuclear agreement

On the other hand, Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian reminded Trump this Sunday that the US President cannot deprive him of his "right" to develop nuclear energy, and that is the thorny point of negotiations between the two countries.

"Trump says Iran should not exercise its nuclear rights, but why?" the Iranian president said, according to the ISNA agency. "How is it possible to deprive a nation of its legal rights? "

Iran's nuclear dispute is ancient. In 2015, Iran signed a historic international agreement that pledged to clear up permanent doubts about the peaceful nature of its program in exchange for re-entry into international markets.

   
Trump withdrew from the agreement three years later, and it was precisely when the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28 that they argued that the country was close to making an atomic bomb.