Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai stated on Monday that the country had responded to a new United States proposal to end the conflict, hours after US President Donald Trump renewed threats against Tehran. The exchanges of proposals have been ongoing since the attacks of 28 February, which triggered the war between Washington, Israel and the Islamic Republic.
“As we announced yesterday, our concerns were conveyed to the American side,” Baqai said at a press conference. He added that the exchanges “continue through the Pakistani mediator”, without giving further details.
Baqai defended Iranian demands, which include the release of frozen assets abroad, the lifting of long-standing sanctions and the payment of reparations for the damage of a war deemed “illegal and unfounded”. On the possibility of new clashes, he said Iran is “fully prepared for any eventuality”.
The Iranian Fars news agency reported that Washington presented a five-point list, including the demand that Iran maintain only one operational nuclear site and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US. The same source said the US refused to release “not even 25%” of frozen Iranian assets or to pay reparations, and made it clear that hostilities will only cease when Tehran takes part in formal peace negotiations.
In a previous proposal, Iran demanded an end to the war on all fronts, including the Israeli campaign in Lebanon, an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports (in force since 13 April), the lifting of all sanctions and the release of frozen assets. The proposal also stressed that Tehran will continue to administer the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has kept largely closed since the start of the war.
On Monday, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announced the creation of a new body to manage the strait: the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA). On its official X account, the council shared a PGSA post indicating it would provide “real-time information on operations” in the area.
The Revolutionary Guards stated that fibre-optic internet cables crossing the strait could also become subject to a licensing system. “After imposing control over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, claiming its absolute sovereignty over the seabed and subsoil of its territorial waters, could declare that all fibre-optic cables crossing the waterway are subject to licences,” the Islamic Republic’s ideological army said on social media.