Iran Rejects U.S. Narrative on 'Disingenuous' Negotiation Framework

Tehran says Washington's terms are unacceptable and it will decide when the war ends.

Mar. 30, 2026 at 2:53pm

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Iran has rejected the U.S. narrative that it must adhere to the Trump administration's 'disingenuous' negotiation framework to end the ongoing war. A senior Iranian official told Drop Site that both countries recently submitted their own sets of terms to mediators, but Iran remains deeply skeptical of Trump's sincerity and cannot rule out that the entire process is a smokescreen for military escalation.

Why it matters

The diplomatic standoff highlights the deep mistrust between Iran and the U.S., with each side accusing the other of insincerity. Iran maintains it will not accept a temporary ceasefire, while the U.S. insists its framework must be the basis for any negotiations. This impasse could lead to further military conflict.

The details

Iran has conveyed its own positions to the U.S., encompassing both the format of the negotiations and the substance of the issues to be addressed. Among Iran's terms are a long-term guarantee that the U.S. and Israel will not attack Iran again, reparations for war damages, sanctions relief, and Iran retaining control over the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. has presented a 15-point deal that Iran has not responded to, according to the U.S. envoy.

  • On February 28, the U.S. and Israel began a massive bombing campaign they claimed was aimed at overthrowing the Iranian government.
  • On Friday, Trump asserted that Iran had 48 hours to open the Strait of Hormuz before facing attacks on civilian infrastructure.

The players

Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran, which continues to launch regular missile and drone attacks at Israel and U.S. military sites across the Persian Gulf.

United States

The U.S. government, which has presented a 15-point deal to Iran that it says must be the basis for any negotiations.

Jared Kushner

Trump's son-in-law, who is part of the U.S. negotiating team.

Steve Witkoff

Trump's special envoy and lead negotiator in the previous two rounds of talks.

Abbas Araghchi

Iran's Foreign Minister, who said Iran will exact a 'HEAVY price' for Israeli crimes carried out in coordination with the U.S.

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What they’re saying

“The Americans are not prepared to engage in what can genuinely be called negotiations. Rather, they seek to impose their own terms. They are clearly being disingenuous.”

— Senior Iranian official

“We have a 15-point deal on the table that the Iranians have had for a bit of time. We expect an answer from them.”

— Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy

“Ships are passing, that's a very, very good sign.”

— Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy

“Iran will exact [a] HEAVY price for Israeli crimes' carried out 'in coordination with the U.S.”

— Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister

What’s next

As of this publication, Iran was still contemplating whether to offer any further response to the U.S. terms, as Tehran's view is that it already has laid out its own framework for starting diplomatic negotiations.

The takeaway

The diplomatic standoff between Iran and the U.S. highlights the deep mistrust and competing narratives that could derail any meaningful negotiations to end the ongoing war. Both sides have presented their own terms, but the U.S. insistence on its framework being the basis for talks is seen by Iran as disingenuous and unacceptable.