Iran's Top Negotiator Says Tehran Takes Concessions 'With Missiles,' Not Words
Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has laid out a blunt negotiating philosophy that frames any diplomatic agreement with the United States as a temporary cease-fire rather than a lasting resolution.
In a post on X on May 29, Qalibaf wrote in Persian that Iran "takes concessions not through dialogue, but with missiles," adding that negotiations serve only to communicate that reality to the other side.
He said Tehran places no trust in guarantees or written commitments, and that no Iranian action would precede a corresponding move by Washington.
The parliament speaker, who led the only round of peace talks with the US following the April 8 cease-fire, also declared that the winner of any agreement is "whoever prepares better for war in the days after it."
Qalibaf's comments come as US Vice President JD Vance told reporters earlier that Tehran and Washington were "very close" to a peace agreement, but added that it was too early to say "when or if" a deal would be finalized.
Vance told reporters late on May 28 that negotiators were "going back and forth on a couple of language points," including on matters related to uranium enrichment.
Qalibaf, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander whose profile rose sharply during the war following the assassination of a slew of prominent figures, is under pressure from hard-liners who insist Iran must secure maximalist demands while making few concessions.
Reports suggest that the emerging deal could extend the current cease-fire by 60 days and open negotiations on the nuclear file.
It would also reportedly restore unrestricted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, give Tehran a month to clear mines from the waterway, lift the US naval blockade, and issue sanctions waivers permitting Iran to resume oil exports.
CENTCOM Denies Claim Iran Shot Down US Drone
US Central Command (CENTCOM) has denied a claim by Iranian state TV that Iranian forces shot down a US plane near Bushehr.
"No U.S. aircraft were shot down. All U.S. air assets are accounted for," CENTCOM said in a post on X.
Earlier, Iran's state TV reported that air defenses destroyed a "hostile aircraft" in the Jam governorate in Bushehr Province, citing the local governor.
US Expands 'Maximum Pressure' Campaign With Fresh Iran Sanctions
The United States has imposed sanctions on multiple entities, individuals, and vessels linked to Iran's petroleum and petrochemical trade, continuing its "maximum pressure" campaign against the Iranian regime, according to a fact sheet released by US State Department on May 28.
The measures include identifying eight vessels tied to Iranian oil shipments and sanctioning three entities and one individual involved in trading Iranian-origin petrochemical products.
Additionally, the State Department said it is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and its various branches.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the sanctions imposed on May 28 "cut off billions in revenue that funds the IRGC, proxy forces, and attacks on our partners."
"Any entity trading Iranian oil faces a serious risk of US sanctions," he added.
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.
Iran's Soccer Team, Training In Mexico, Still Awaiting US Visas
Iran's World Cup soccer team, which is training in Mexico, still has not received its visa for travel to the US, its ambassador to Mexico said on May 28.
The team is training in the northwestern Mexican border city of Tijuana, after it originally planned to have workouts for the upcoming World Cup in Tucson, Arizona.
Ambassador Abolfazl Pasandideh, who visited the Tijuana training site, told a news conference that "the country to the north" -- referring to the US -- has not followed through on its responsibility of hosting the Iranian team.
"We don't know whether or not they're going to give the players their visas," he added.
Iran is scheduled to play its first two World Cup group matches in Los Angeles (June 15 against New Zealand and June 21 against Belgium) then in Seattle against Egypt on June 26.
The head of the Iranian Football Federation has said they were hoping players would be granted multiple entry visas to be able to travel to the games and back to the training base in Mexico.
"We aren't participating in the World Cup on equal terms," Pasandideh said. "We haven't been able to train our team like they should," he said, citing the war in the Middle East.
Iran's participation in the World Cup has been uncertain for months because of the US war with Iran. The Iranian team had requested that its matches be switched to Mexico, which is co-hosting along with the US and Canada, but the request was turned down.
American officials have said they expect the Iranian team to travel to the matches in the US, despite the ongoing war, which currently is under a shaky cease-fire.
With reporting from AFP
US Treasury Chief Warns Oman On Sanctions Day After Trump Threatens To 'Blow Them Up'
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on May 28 threatened to target longtime Gulf ally Oman with sanctions if it helps Iran impose a tolling system in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
In a posting on X. on X, Bessent wrote: "The United States Government will not tolerate any effort to impose a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz."
"Oman, in particular, should know that the US Treasury will aggressively target any actors involved -- directly or indirectly -- in facilitating tolls for the Strait and any willing partners will be penalized."
He added that "all nations should reject outright any efforts by Iran to disrupt the free flow of commerce. Tehran’s days of terrorizing the region and the world are over."
Bessent later told a White House briefing that he had spoken with the Omani ambassador and received assurances that "there were no plans for tolling" the waterway.
"I told him that this was a non-starter and he did not want to risk either the Oman individuals or Omani financial institutions getting sanctioned," Bessent said.
Iran has effectively blocked the crucial strait, through which some 20 percent of the world's oil and gas supplies transited prior to the war. It has threatened to charge ships passing through the international waterway and has sought Oman's partnership in the project.
Oman has helped mediated talks between Washington and Tehran but has itself come under attack from Iran's retaliatory drone and missile strikes.
A day earlier, US President Donald Trump appeared to threaten Oman when asked about a possible arrangement allowing it and Iran to control the strait, saying he would "blow them up" if Oman did so.
US Slaps Sanctions On Iran Military Oil Trade
The US said on May 28 said it has slapped fresh new sanctions on Iran's military oil trade, sanctioning eight vessels involved in transporting Iranian crude oil and petroleum products to global markets.
The ships included the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Flora, the Comoros-flagged crude oil tanker Hauncayo, and the Panama-flagged tanker Ill Gap.
"We will not allow the Iranian government to increase its oil revenue for the purpose of reconstituting its armed forces and military capabilities," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
The Treasury said some of the sanctioned Iranian entities also use the oil sales infrastructure of the Iranian armed forces to secure oil products from outside Iran.
The news of the sanctions comes amid reports that Washington and Tehran negotiators have reached a tentative agreement on a 60-day extension of the cease-fire that is currently in place. Various media reports state that the deal is awaiting US President Donald Trump's approval.
US, Iran Negotiators Reach Tentative Deal To Extend Cease-Fire, Await Trump's Approval: Reports
Multiple US and international news outlets are reporting that the United States and Iran have reached a tentative agreement on extending the current cease-fire and that it is awaiting President Donald Trump’s final approval.
Reuters on May 28 cited four sources familiar with the matter as saying the deal would extend the truce for a further 60 days and allow for traffic to freely flow through the strategic Strait of Hormuz while negotiators continue to address more difficult issues -- such as Tehran’s nuclear program.
The news comes amid reports by Iranian news agencies that the country's forces had on May 28 launched missile strikes, initially believed to be warning shots fired toward ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the US announced it had imposed new sanctions on Iran's military oil trade, targeting eight ships involved in transporting Iranian petroleum products to global markets.
Although it would not be the more-inclusive cease-fire deal that Trump has said the US was seeking, the new agreement, if confirmed, would appear to be the largest step toward peace since the US-Israeli air strikes on Iran on February 28 led to the widespread Middle East conflict.
Reuters said Trump has not yet approved the agreement, while the White House declined to comment.
However, Vice President JD Vance told reporters that Washington was "not there yet" in talks with Tehran but that the sides were close.
"It's hard to say exactly when or if the president is going to sign the MOU (memorandum of understanding). We're going back and forth on a couple of language points," Vance said.
"I can't guarantee that we're going to get there, but right now I feel pretty good about it," he said.
Tehran has not commented on the report, which was first published by Axios. Iran's Tasnim news agency, citing a source, said the text of the agreement had not been finalized or confirmed.
Among others, AFP, dpa, CNN, The New York Times, Fox News, and CBS News cited sources to say a tentative deal had been reached to extend the cease-fire.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, during a briefing at the White House, declined to confirm an agreement but told reporters that "we perhaps have the makings of a deal here."
The Axios report said terms of the agreement had largely been finalized by May 27, but it added that both sides must still get the approval of their political leaders.
A 30-day US-Iran cease-fire was first announced in early April before Trump set an open-ended extension prior to its expiration.
Back Online After Internet Blackout Ends, Iranians Still Face Limited Communications
Internet access in Iran has been partially restored after the government shut down communications at the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign in late February. Iranians told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that they had been unable to check on their loved ones' safety during months of deadly air strikes. Even as the total blackout ended on May 27, Iranians inside and outside the country described slow connections and difficulty reaching friends and family.
Video by Kian Sharifi, RFE/RL's Radio Farda, and Margot Buff
Rights Activist Nasrin Sotoudeh Says She Was Beaten In Intelligence Ministry Detention Center
Lawyer and human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh says that she was arrested by Iranian Intelligence Ministry agents on April 1 and beaten while being held in one of the ministry’s detention centers.
She wrote in a Facebook post on May 28 that when she arrived at the detention facility, agents tied her hands and feet and beat her “over the compulsory hijab,” or mandatory Islamic head scarf. She said the beating left bruises on her legs and wounds on her face.
Sotoudeh also described conditions in the detention center as “inhumane,” saying "forced confessions were rampant" and that the release of some detainees was conditioned on recording video confessions.
She added that she was temporarily released on May 13 after a new case was opened against her.
At the end of her message, referring to domestic and international support for political prisoners in Iran, Sotoudeh wrote: “No to war, no to dictatorship.”
Sotoudeh is one of Iran’s best-known human rights lawyers and has been repeatedly jailed over her defense of political prisoners, women’s rights activists, and opponents of compulsory hijab laws.