Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reiterated that Tehran is not ruling out diplomacy, but any agreement to end the war with the United States and Israel must first protect Iran’s security and national interests. In Tehran’s view, a ceasefire cannot rest on political statements alone and must be backed by enforceable guarantees.
Tehran repeats three core conditions for ending the war
According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, Pezeshkian told a cabinet meeting on March 30 that peace talks are meaningless unless Iran receives firm assurances against future attacks. The position is consistent with conditions he first laid out publicly on March 11: recognition of Iran’s “legitimate rights,” payment of war reparations, and strong international guarantees against renewed aggression.
He later sharpened that message on March 16, saying there is no point discussing an end to the war until Iran can be certain its territory will not be targeted again. The latest cabinet remarks therefore appear to be a reaffirmation of existing policy rather than a shift in strategy.
Conflict remains active more than a month after outbreak
The report says the direct military confrontation began on February 28, 2026, when U.S. and Israeli forces struck Iranian targets in what Tehran described as unprovoked aggression. Iranian officials say more than 1,340 people have been killed since the offensive began, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran later responded with drone and missile attacks on Israeli territory as well as U.S.-linked targets in Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf states, adding pressure to regional infrastructure, markets, and air traffic.
Pezeshkian has consistently framed Iran’s military actions as defensive, arguing that Iran does not strike first and responds only after being attacked. He also praised the country’s armed forces and pointed to national unity and pro-government demonstrations as factors that strengthened Iran’s position during the crisis.
Diplomatic opening, but with a very high threshold
Analysts broadly interpret Iran’s reference to “legitimate rights” as including its nuclear program and regional influence, both longstanding flashpoints in disputes with Washington and Tel Aviv. Tehran’s insistence on reparations and binding international guarantees also reflects deep mistrust built over decades, including repeated references by Iranian officials to the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal.
Some observers view the repeated statements as a diplomatic signal that Iran is open to negotiation, but only on strict terms. Others see the conditions as structured to delay resolution while preserving a posture of resistance at home. As of March 31, none of Iran’s stated demands had been met, and no public response from the U.S. or Israel to Pezeshkian’s latest remarks was reported in the source material.
Market reaction puts bitcoin back in focus
Following the report, U.S. stocks moved higher and bitcoin briefly rose above $68,000. At the time of publication cited in the source, BTC was trading at $67,403 per coin. The move underlines how geopolitical developments continue to influence broader market sentiment, with crypto remaining highly reactive to major international flashpoints.