Tehran’s proposal remains on the table, but Washington must meet its conditions, the Iranian foreign minister has warned
The US risks “dire consequences” if it escalates the war, Iran’s Foreign Ministry has warned, urging Washington to accept its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and pave the way for further negotiations.
The warning followed American strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island near the strait on Sunday night, according to local officials. Air defense and radar installations on Qeshm were also targeted last week.
Tehran’s proposal remains on the table, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday, urging the White House to choose diplomacy.
”Or choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened Warriors rain down hell,” he wrote on X.
Tehran’s conditions include lifting the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, easing sanctions, releasing frozen assets, and ending hostilities on all fronts. Under the proposal, Washington would implement the initial measures on the first day, followed by the reopening of the waterway on the second. Before the war, about a fifth of the world’s oil passed through the strait.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed some of those demands as “outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic.” Tehran’s spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei described the offer as “the most logical plan on the table,” saying it could restore security in the strait and the Persian Gulf.
Iran insists on retaining what it describes as sovereignty over the strait, including requiring vessels to coordinate passage with its authorities, a demand Washington opposes.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran’s lead negotiator, accused Israel on Monday of drawing the US into an endless war. “Unless Washington drops the ‘Israel First’ mindset, America and its allies are headed straight for a dark age,” he said.
Israel has left open the prospect of further military action, with Defense Minister Israel Katz saying on Sunday that the mission against Iran was “still not complete” and accusing Tehran of renewing efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. The Islamic Republic maintains its nuclear program is peaceful.
US President Donald Trump met Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday for talks on Doha’s mediation between Washington and Tehran.
Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin reportedly said US Vice President J.D. Vance would meet Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei in Doha next week. However, Tasnim news agency cited a senior Iranian security official as denying any such plans until Washington meets Tehran’s conditions.
Russia has also backed a diplomatic settlement. President Vladimir Putin met Rezaei in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the conflict and regional security.
The US and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran on February 28, triggering months of fighting that have disrupted global energy supplies and shipping.
