clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Tehran accuses US of ‘squeezing Iran’ in effort to wrest concessions that were ‘never part’ of framework agreement

August 18, 2026 at 8:03 pm

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, on 11 April, 2026. [Iranian Foreign Ministry/Handout – Anadolu Agency]

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf has blasted US officials for “squeezing Iran” with the aim of wresting concessions that he says were “never part” of a framework agreement signed earlier between Washington and Tehran, Anadolu reports.

“Americans think squeezing Iran harder will win concessions that were never part of the agreement,” Qalibaf wrote in a Tuesday social-media post.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth are “way out of their league,” he asserted, adding: “Stop waiting for the clown crew to pull a rabbit out of their hat and clean up the mess you made.”

In mid-June, Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding – through Pakistani and Qatari mediators – ending hostilities and launching talks aimed at reaching a negotiated settlement.

​​​​​​​Talks, however, have since broken down amid ongoing disputes over the memorandum’s terms and navigation through the Hormuz Strait, a critical route for global energy exports.

READ: Pentagon eyes smaller US military presence in Gulf after Iran war: Report