"We are interested in the diplomatic track, but without making concessions", Al Arabiya citing an Iranian diplomatic source

• "We informed the mediators that responding to our seven demands is a condition for moving forward".
• "We have no trust in America; it launches attacks while talking about negotiations".
• "The diplomatic track does not mean backing down from the conditions we have put forward".

Statements of this kind, a public restatement of preconditions delivered through a regional outlet rather than formal channels, are a standard feature of Iran-related negotiation cycles and have historically functioned as positioning before talks rather than as a decision on them. The distinction worth drawing is between rhetorical hardening, which tends to fade as a crude risk premium driver, and any accompanying change in physical flows through Gulf shipping lanes, which is what has durably moved WTI and Brent in past episodes. The precondition format, demands listed in advance with distrust of the counterparty stated openly, has on previous occasions preceded both eventual engagement and breakdowns, so the framing itself carries limited signal about direction. For crude, the transmission runs through the front of the curve and through freight and insurance costs on Gulf-linked routes, with outright flat price typically holding a premium only while the risk of supply interruption is judged live. Worth watching is whether mediators confirm continued contact, whether the other side responds in kind or escalates, and whether tanker behaviour or insurance pricing shifts in line with the rhetoric. As sourced commentary rather than action, this sits in the category that has usually been faded unless followed by something physical.