Iran has rejected reports that it is close to a ceasefire arrangement with the United States. On July 6, Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said the conditions described in US media reports were "the Americans' wish list, not reality", adding that Iran is "ready to open fire" if Washington does not make the necessary concessions.
Axios report pointed to a one-page memorandum
The statement cut against hopes that the military standoff might be easing. Earlier the same day, Axios reported, citing two US officials and people familiar with the matter, that the Trump administration believed the two sides were very close to agreeing on a one-page memorandum of understanding. The reported document was meant to end the current fighting and set a framework for more detailed talks on the nuclear issue.
According to that report, the US side expected Iran to respond on several key points within 48 hours. It described the moment as the closest the parties had come to an agreement since the conflict began, a reading that had briefly supported expectations of a de-escalation.
Iranian official publicly rejects the reported framework
Citing a July 6 update, China Central Television reported that Rezaei issued a statement on social media rejecting the claims in the Axios story. He wrote that what the Americans could not obtain in face-to-face negotiations, they would also not obtain through a failed war.
Rezaei then sharpened the warning. If the US does not make substantive concessions, Iran's military is prepared to open fire at any time. That response quickly erased much of the optimism around a possible halt in fighting and pushed regional tensions back into focus.