Iran Rejects US Peace Talks, Vows To Keep Strait Of Hormuz Closed Until Washington Meets Demands
Iran Rejects US Peace Talks, Vows To Keep Strait Of Hormuz Closed Until Washington Meets Demands
Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said on Tuesday that the Iranian government was still awaiting a clear response from the United States to seven demands it had presented as conditions for ending the conflict.
Iran has ruled out claims that it is negotiating with the United States to end the ongoing war, insisting that the strategically important Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Washington agrees to meet Tehran’s conditions for peace.
Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said on Tuesday that the Iranian government was still awaiting a clear response from the United States to seven demands it had presented as conditions for ending the conflict.
Rezaei dismissed reports of ongoing diplomatic engagements between Tehran and Washington, describing claims that both countries were preparing for further negotiations or a meeting in Qatar as false.
Speaking to Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen television, Rezaei accused the United States of deliberately promoting the impression that diplomatic negotiations were progressing in an attempt to ease economic pressure and bring down international oil prices.
He maintained that Iran had not agreed to reopen diplomatic negotiations and would not consider reopening the Strait of Hormuz until its demands were addressed.
“Their initial response was insufficient and deceptive, and we are still waiting for an explicit and clear response,” Rezaei said.
Although Tehran has not publicly disclosed the complete list of its seven conditions, Rezaei and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have indicated that the demands include the lifting of economic sanctions, an end to the US naval blockade and a cessation of hostilities across all fronts, particularly Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
Araghchi had earlier said that the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened within 48 hours if Washington accepted Iran’s conditions.
He warned that the conflict could not be resolved through military operations or increased economic sanctions, urging the United States to pursue diplomatic engagement instead.
“The conflict with Iran will not be resolved through military means, nor by intensifying sanctions,” Araghchi reportedly told Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, on Tuesday.News website subscription
“The only solution is to adopt a language of respect, engage in diplomacy, and address Iran’s demands and conditions – which were outlined in the two-day proposal and remain on the table,” he added.
The Iranian position comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation of the conflict, which has severely disrupted global energy supplies, international shipping and oil markets.
US President Donald Trump on Monday expressed optimism about a possible resolution, claiming there was “positive momentum” towards ending the war after meeting Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, at the White House.
Trump also suggested that additional military strikes against Iran might no longer be necessary.
Qatar has played a significant mediation role in efforts to secure an agreement between Washington and Tehran.
Following his meeting with Trump, the Qatari Prime Minister travelled to Paris, where he held discussions with the Saudi foreign minister and senior European diplomats on the escalating crisis and its wider security and economic consequences.
Speaking to journalists in Paris, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also maintained that Washington remained open to diplomatic solutions but suggested that economic pressure could achieve the administration’s objectives without further military action.
Rubio said the economic campaign against Iran was already having devastating consequences, making additional large-scale military operations unnecessary at this stage.
“The economic campaign is so devastating that right now there is no need for major combat operations,” he said. “That’s what I told our allies here today.”
Meanwhile, tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have continued to threaten international maritime activities, with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claiming that at least three oil tankers caught fire on Tuesday after striking naval mines while travelling through what it described as an unauthorised route in the eastern section of the waterway.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency separately reported incidents involving two tankers in the region, including a vessel allegedly struck by an unidentified projectile northeast of Oman’s Lima village.
The latest incidents have heightened concerns over the safety of commercial vessels navigating the waterway, which serves as one of the world’s most important routes for international oil and gas shipments.
Maritime monitoring companies have also reportedly documented at least 37 attacks on ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz in November, representing the highest monthly number of reported attacks since the outbreak of the war.
The continued disruption of shipping through the strategic passage has contributed to uncertainty in global energy markets, with the consequences extending far beyond the Middle East as governments and businesses grapple with rising energy costs and supply disruptions.
