• Acting defence minister expresses lack of trust in America
• Araghchi questions role of Centcom in regional security
• Tehran seeks waiver to sell oil to Japan
• Netanyahu, Trump expected to meet soon

TEHRAN / WASHINGTON: As the focus shifted to the week-long mourning for late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian officials warned the US and Israel to honour their commitments to end the war in the Middle East.

Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on Friday that if the US and Israel do not fulfil their commitments to end the war, then Tehran will respond.

“We strongly demand full implementation of the agreements, and if the US and the Zionist regime fail to fulfil their commitments, Iran will resume proportionate actions,” Al Jazeera quoted him as saying.

Ghalibaf, who also heads the country’s negotiating team in talks with the United States, added that Washington cannot militarily confront Iran and said Israel’s threats are “baseless propaganda”.

Meanwhile, Acting Defence Minister Seyyed Majid Ibn Reza expressed a complete lack of trust in the ‘other party’, saying that Tehran signed the memorandum of understanding with the US to help restore regional stability, at the request of its friendly neighbouring countries, state-run Press TV reported.

“However, given the United States’ long history of failing to honour its commitments, Iran has no trust in the other party,” he said, adding that the country’s forces “remain on full alert and will respond proportionately to any violation of the agreement”.

Separately, during a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, he also renewed calls for the creation of a joint security mechanism among Muslim nations, saying that the presence of extra-regional forces has become a source of instability.

Reza and Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler reviewed regional developments, the implementation of the June 27 ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US, and ways to enhance defence and security ties between Tehran and Ankara.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi questioned the role of the US Central Command (Centcom) in regional security, arguing that it has actually brought insecurity to the region.

“Our powerful armed forces have proven that outsiders cannot even protect themselves. Peace in our region can only be sustained when comprehensive and inclusive, with no outside interference,” he said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Iran has begun talks with Japanese companies under a US sanctions waiver allowing it to resume oil sales, though prospective buyers are seeking a longer waiver and reassurances about ship safety.

The waiver, part of 60-day peace talks between Tehran and Washington, was issued on June 22 and expires August 21.

Three Japanese buyers were looking at possible crude oil purchases from Iran, their first since 2019, said two Iranian sources, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Meanwhile, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump spoke and agreed to meet “soon” in the United States, the AFP news agency reported on Friday.

“The prime minister said in their conversation that the US is a guarantor of global freedom, and Israel greatly appreciates the close ties between nations,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2026