Iran's parliament speaker says no deal with U.S. until Iranian rights secured

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Sunday that Tehran will not agree to any deal with the United States until the rights of the Iranian people have been secured.

Addressing an online parliament session, Qalibaf stressed that Iranian negotiators have no trust in the "enemy's" words and promises, according to the official news agency IRNA.

"Our criterion is tangible achievements that we must attain in order to fulfill our commitments in return," he said. "We will not approve any agreement until we are sure that we have secured the Iranian nation's rights."

The speaker noted Iran's "achievement" on the battlefield, stressing that the diplomacy's job is to transform "these victories into political and legal achievements."

He warned that in a new phase of war, the "enemies" seek to sow internal discord through economic pressure and media propaganda to force Iran to surrender, and expressed confidence that Iran's people would resist them.

In a Friday post on social media platform X, Qalibaf, who serves as Tehran's top negotiator in peace talks with Washington, said, "We obtain concessions not through dialogue, but with missiles; in negotiations we merely make them understandable."

Separately, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that 28 ships, including oil tankers, container vessels, and commercial ships, passed through the Strait of Hormuz within the past 24 hours after obtaining permission and receiving protection from its Navy.

Iran had tightened control over the strait since Feb. 28, when it barred passage to vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States after the two countries' joint strikes on Iranian territory. The United States later imposed its own blockade on the waterway after peace negotiations with Iran in Pakistan's Islamabad collapsed.

Over the past weeks, Iran and the United States are reportedly exchanged several proposed plans outlining conditions for peace through Pakistan's mediation, and are working to finalize a memorandum of understanding to end the war.

Iran's parliament speaker says no deal with U.S. until Iranian rights secured

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Sunday emphasized that attacks on nuclear facilities are unacceptable and must stop to avoid the "very real risk of a nuclear accident."

In a post on social media platform X, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi also described the Saturday strike as a "serious incident" that endangered key nuclear safety principles.

The post said an IAEA team inspected the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) after it was reportedly struck by a drone the previous day. The team observed damage to a metal access hatch on the exterior of a turbine building, as well as debris and burned fragments of optical fibers scattered on the ground.

Based on its observations, the team concluded that the damage was consistent with the impact of a drone strike.

The IAEA said that while a follow-up inspection inside the turbine building was interrupted by nearby drone activity and gunfire, its experts confirmed that radiation levels at the site remained normal. Measurements showed no immediate radiological threat.

Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom said on Saturday that a Ukrainian drone hit the turbine island of Unit 6 at the ZNPP, but Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces denied Russia's allegation. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi expressed serious concern over the reported strike, warning that attacks on nuclear facilities are "like playing with fire."

The Zaporizhzhia plant, one of Europe's largest nuclear power facilities, has been under Russian control since March 2022.

IAEA chief urges "stop" to nuclear sites attacks after Zaporizhzhia drone strike