Former IRGC Commander Jafari Lays Out Iran's Peace Conditions

RFE
15 May 2026, 09:30 GMT+10

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11:23

Former IRGC Commander Jafari Lays Out Iran's Peace Conditions

Ali Jafari

Mohammad Ali Jafari, the former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), has said there will be no further peace negotiations "until the war is over on all fronts, sanctions are lifted, frozen funds are released, damages caused by the war are compensated, and Irans sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz is recognized.

Jafari, whose position in the current government is unclear, made the comments to the Tasnim news agency, which is close to the IRGC.

These five points, which Iran has called its "main conditions," can be seen summarized on propaganda billboards across the capital, Tehran. They also form the core of Iran's new peace proposal, which US President Donald Trump has called "stupid" and "unacceptable."

In his comments to Tasnim, Jafari also said that since Iran had been attacked twice in the middle of negotiations with the United States, "we completely distrust the enemy" and "the enemy must pay for the betrayals and breaches of promises that it committed by restarting the war in the middle of negotiations."

The former IRGC commander is repeating Iran's characterization of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities in June 2025 and the US-Israeli strikes that launched the current war on February 28. The US and Israel have described those operations as preemptive military actions, not unprovoked attacks during active peace negotiations.

Jafari also outlined Iran's phased approach to negotiations, although it is unclear what role -- if any -- he has taken in peace talks or whether his comments represent Iran's current official position: "Our logic is to first take confidence-building measures and then enter the next phase and the next step of negotiating nuclear issues so that decisions can be made about them. Until [this is done], entering the next stage makes no sense."

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10:37

China Summit Ends

US President Donald Trump has left Beijing after a two-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, where Iran featured at the top of the agenda.

Read our full coveragehere.

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10:31

Amid Increasing Repression, Iranian Sisters Given International Journalism Award

Iranian journalists, sisters Elahe and Elnaz Mohammadi, have won the 2026 Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF).

The foundation announced on May 14 that the sisters were being honored for reporting amid increasing risks, alongside journalists from Myanmar, the Philippines, and the United States.

"For years, the Mohammadi sisters have documented systemic state control and violence in Iran -- one of the world's most restrictive media environments -- and have been arrested, imprisoned, and censored for their journalism," the IWMF statement said.

Elahe Mohammadi, a former reporter for the Tehran-based reformist daily Ham-Mihan, was arrested in September 2022 after covering the funeral of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who had died mysteriously in police custody. Elahe spent about 17 months in detention before being released on bail.

Her sister, Elnaz Mohammadi, a veteran social-affairs journalist and former editor at Ham-Mihan, was also briefly detained in 2022 and later sentenced to three years of suspended imprisonment.

Elnaz has long focused on women's rights, childrens rights, and social issues across Iran, the IWMF said.

Iran's Press Supervisory Board suspended the Ham-Mihan daily on January 18 amid intensified repression of independent media in Iran.

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05:29

China Calls For 'Lasting Cease-Fire' In Middle East

China's Foreign Ministry on May 15 called for a lasting truce in the Middle East and said shipping lanes should be reopened "as soon as possible."

"A comprehensive and lasting cease-fire should be reached as soon as possible to facilitate the early restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf region," the ministry said in a statement.

"Shipping lanes should be reopened as soon as possible in response to the calls of the international community," it added without specifically mentioning the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed since the outbreak of war on February 28.

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04:23

Trump Suggests Losing Patience With Tehran, But Appears To Ease Demands On Uranium

US President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Tehran for its refusal to accept a US peace deal, but he appeared to back off demands that Iran must allow its supply of enriched uranium to be removed from the country.

"I am not going to be much more patient. They should make a deal," Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview broadcast on May 14 and conducted in China, where the US president is on a visit to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

"Any sane person would make a deal, but they might be crazy," he added.

On Iran's supply of enriched uranium, Trump said: "I just feel better if I got it, actually, but it's -- I think, it's more for public relations than it is for anything else."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said in recent comments that the war with Iran was "not over" because the nuclear material "has to be taken out" of the country.

In past comments, Trump has said Tehran's supply of enriched uranium -- which could be used to make a nuclear bomb -- would be transported out of Iran with or without the government's approval.

"We'll go down and get it with them, and then we'll take it. We'll be getting it together because by that time, we'll have an agreement and there's no need for fighting when there's an agreement. Nice right? That's better. We would have done it the other way if we had to," he toldCBSlast month.

US President Donald Trump, seated next to Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) and US Ambassador to China David Perdue during meetings in Beijing on May 14.

Still, even as he complained about the lack of agreement by Tehran, he said current leaders there are reasonable people. Most of Iran's previous leadership was killed in US-Israeli air strikes that began on February 28.

Meanwhile, earlier on May 14, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News that China and the US agree that the Strait of Hormuz should not be "militarized."

Speaking on NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas,Rubio said Trump discussed the strait with Xi during his Beijing meeting on May 14.

The Chinese side said they are not in favor of militarizing the Strait of Hormuz, and theyre not in favor of a tolling system, and thats our position, Rubio said.

Since the beginning of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28, Tehran has effectively closed the key strait and charged tolls -- up to $2 million -- for some ships to pass through. The US has also imposed a naval blockade on ships going to and from Iran.

In addition to charging tolls on ships passing through the strait -- which Iran claims sovereignty over -- Tehran has proposed implementing a permanent tolling system on all nonhostile traffic.

Rubio denied that Trump had asked Xi for China's help with the war in Iran. "He didnt ask him for anything. I mean, we're not asking for China's help," Rubio said. "We don't need their help.

Trump said Xi had offered to help end the Iran warduring talks in Beijing, saying Xi would love to assist and would like to see a deal made.

China is regarded as one of Irans most important suppliers of military equipment alongside Russia.

Elsewhere, The New York Times, citing current and former senior US officials, reported that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had carried out separate strikes inside Iran during the war prior to a cease-fire was announced in April.

The report said it was the first time the two Arab countries -- both allies of the US -- had directly attacked Iran.

No details were available and the two Arab countries did not confirm the strikes.

With reporting by dpa and Fox

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23:46

14.5.2026

US Says Israel-Lebanon Talks 'Positive,' Will Continue On May 15

A senior State Department official said talks between Israel and Lebanon on a potential extension of the current cease-fire were "positive" and will resume on May 15 for a second day.

We had a full day of productive and positive talks that lasted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We look forward to continuing this tomorrow and hope to have more to share then, the official said after the first day of US-brokered talks in Washington.

The cease-fire, which has been put in danger amid continued Israeli strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, ends on May 17.

A militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the US, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political branch.

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23:26

14.5.2026

US House Votes Down Bid to Limit Trump's War Powers By Narrowest of Margins

The US House of Representatives by the slimmest of margins defeated a Democratic-led resolution that sought to stop the war in Iran until hostilities are approved by Congress.

The House voted 212 to 212 in the bid to rein in President Donald Trump's military campaign -- meaning the resolution failed because it needed a simple majority to pass.

It was the third vote this year in the House on an Iran war powers resolution, but it was the first since the conflict reached a 60-day deadline on May 1 for Trump to come to Congress about the war.

Trump asserted at that time that a cease-fire had officially "terminated" hostilities against Iran.

A resolution to limit President Donald Trump's war powers was defeated US House of Representatives (file photo).

The votes have been getting narrower, with Republicans holding just a slim majority.

On April 16, the last war powers resolution failed in a 213-214 vote, with one member voting "present."

Votes also have been getting tighter in the Senate. A war powers resolution was blocked 50-49 on May 13 as three Republicans joined every Democrat except one in voting to advance the measure. In the event of a tie in the Senate, Trump's vice president, JD Vance, would cast the deciding vote.

With reporting by Reuters

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21:45

14.5.2026

Xi 'Would Love To' Help Broker Iran Deal, Trump Says

US President Donald Trump (left) with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14.

US President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had offered to help end the Iran warduring talks in Beijing, saying Xi would love to assist and would like to see a deal made.

Trump told Fox News on May 14 that Xi also wanted the Strait of Hormuz kept open, a key concern for China as the worlds biggest buyer of Iranian oil and a major importer of energy supplies via the Persian Gulf.

Trump added that Xi had agreed to stop providing military goods to Iran, although there was no immediate confirmation from Beijing.

China is regarded as one of Irans most important suppliers of military equipment alongside Russia.

With reporting by dpa and The Wall Street Journal

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20:29

14.5.2026

Rubio: US And China Agree Against Militarizing Hormuz

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told NBC News that China and the US agree that the Strait of Hormuz should not be "militarized."

Speaking on NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas,Rubio said that President Donald Trump discussed the strait with Chinese President Xi Jinping at talks in Beijing on May 14. The Chinese side said they are not in favor of militarizing the Strait of Hormuz, and theyre not in favor of a tolling system, and thats our position, Rubio said.