Jakarta, IDN Times – Iranian President Masoud Pezeskhian has firmly declared his nation’s intent to end the ongoing war with the United States and Israel, but not at the expense of its dignity. Pezeskhian rejected Washington’s primary demand to halt Iran’s nuclear weapons program as a condition for ceasing hostilities that have persisted for over a month.
During a visit to Iran’s Ministry of Sport and Youth, Pezeskhian challenged the US stance, stating, “(Donald) Trump said Iran should not use its nuclear rights. However, (he) did not explain what crimes Iran has committed,” as reported by Anadolu Agency on Sunday, April 19, 2026.
The cessation of Iran’s nuclear program stands as the US’s principal prerequisite for resolving the conflict. However, Iran’s unequivocal rejection of this condition led to the complete failure of the initial round of peace negotiations between the US and Iran, which took place in Islamabad, Pakistan, last week.
Following a meeting with Iranian representatives, US Vice President JD Vance reiterated America’s core objective to the Times of Israel: “We need to see a firm commitment that they will not seek nuclear weapons, and they will not seek the means that would allow them to quickly acquire nuclear weapons. That is the main objective of the President of the United States, and that is what we have tried to achieve through these negotiations.”
Despite the stalemate, former US President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday, April 16, 2026, that Iran had agreed to halt its nuclear weapons program to achieve permanent peace with the US and Israel. Trump further asserted that Iran had consented to surrender its uranium supply to the United States.
These claims by Trump were vehemently denied by Tehran. Iran firmly stated it would not agree to cease its nuclear program nor hand over its uranium reserves to the US. “The President of the United States made seven claims in one hour. All seven claims are false. They will not win the war with these lies. They certainly will not get anything in negotiations,” wrote Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the Spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament, in a post on X.
Ghalibaf’s strong rebuttal was further echoed by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which asserted that Iran would never transfer its enriched uranium reserves to any country, including the United States. “Iran’s enriched uranium will not be transferred anywhere; transferring uranium to the United States is not an option for us,” declared Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post. Consequently, Ghalibaf urged all parties not to be swayed by Trump’s recurring false claims, labeling them as hoaxes designed to mislead the public regarding Iran’s true position.
Summary
Iranian President Masoud Pezeskhian has declared his nation’s intent to end the ongoing war with the United States and Israel, but not at the expense of its dignity. He firmly rejected the US’s primary demand to halt Iran’s nuclear weapons program as a condition for peace, questioning the basis of such a demand. This rejection, reiterated by US Vice President JD Vance, led to the complete failure of initial peace negotiations between the two nations.
Despite the stalemate, former US President Donald Trump falsely claimed Iran had agreed to cease its nuclear program and surrender its uranium supply for permanent peace. These assertions were vehemently denied by Tehran, with Iranian Parliament Spokesperson Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf labeling them as false and lies. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs further confirmed that Iran would never transfer its enriched uranium reserves to any country, including the United States.