Iran Shuts Nuclear Door, Demands Its Seven Terms Be Accepted Unconditionally

Iran's parliament slammed the door on nuclear negotiations Sunday, with First Deputy Speaker Ali Nikzad telling the chamber that Tehran will not talk under any circumstances or pressure. His terms: the fighting stops only once Iran's seven conditions are accepted unconditionally. And any renewed attack, he warned, would bring an immediate and effective response with no geographical limits.

The asking price, as Nikzad laid it out: end hostilities, release frozen Iranian assets, lift the naval blockade and sanctions on the country's oil sector, pay war compensation, and pull American forces out of the region. Until then, negotiations with Washington stay parked.

Iran's military brass spent the weekend talking up what refusal could look like. Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia, speaking on state television, said a future war could outlast the previous round and stretch beyond the Middle East, with Trump in no position to dictate its timing or its ending. IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi added that the force is scouting additional targets and preparing operations in new areas, describing a vast theater with no geographical limits.

Washington is squeezing from the other direction. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Saturday that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has climbed back to pre-war levels, with Iranian oil shipments excluded. He put it bluntly in a social media post: the world can live without Iranian oil, but Iran cannot live without oil exports. Late August brought Operation Economic Outcast, aimed at Iran's financial networks plus the shadow shipping web and facilitators working around sanctions.

Military options are still live, according to the Wall Street Journal. The paper, citing sources, reported that Trump phoned Netanyahu on the morning of October 31, just days after discussing ways to resume attacks on Iran with his top commanders. Any strikes are unlikely before November 3, when US midterm elections are held.