Iranian diplomat says mere ceasefire not enough, as official insists talks have not collapsed

A regional official involved in talks for a ceasefire in Iran says the efforts have not collapsed.

“We are still talking to both sides,” he says, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door diplomacy.

Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Cairo, tells The Associated Press that “we won’t merely accept a ceasefire.”

“We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again,” he says.

He says Iran no longer trusts the Trump administration after the US bombed the Islamic Republic twice during previous rounds of talks: The “White House assassinated the negotiating table.”

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said Tehran conveyed its response through Pakistan, a key mediator.

Trump is expected to talk to the press about the war and efforts to end it in some 10 minutes.