Iran will not accept 'excessive demands' in US talks, president says

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that Tehran will not accept "excessive demands" by the US in the Pakistan-mediated talks, the state news agency IRNA reported.

"The negotiations have been planned in such a way that the rights of the Iranian nation are fully secured," Pezeshkian stated during a meeting with members of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture.

"Although the enemy has shifted its focus to economic warfare after military failure, the government and the private sector, by working together with solidarity, empathy, and cooperation, will also get through this stage successfully," he asserted.

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation and was later extended by US President Donald Trump indefinitely.

On Saturday, Trump said an agreement with Iran to end the conflict had been "largely negotiated" and was awaiting finalization.