Iran maintains war‑ending demands as US increases military pressure

Iran has reiterated its seven demands for ending the war despite an increase in US strikes, officials said on Monday.

Deputy governor for Hormozgan, Ahmad Nafisi, confirmed that the US overnight strikes hit the southern island of Qeshm but caused no damage to residential, commercial areas or vital infrastructure.

The US has not directly acknowledged the air strikes, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio described similar recent attacks on Qeshm as “defensive”. President Donald Trump previously acknowledged strikes on Iranian air defences and radar installations.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, rejected Rubio’s comment that some of Tehran’s demands were “ridiculous and really not realistic”, insisting Iran’s plan is the most logical for restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.

The seven demands include lifting the US blockade on Iran’s southern ports and removing sanctions, essentially a return to the June Islamabad memorandum of understanding, with added stipulations for the future of the Strait of Hormuz.

Baghaei also criticised the US offer of a reward of up to $20 million for information on Iran’s nuclear programme, calling it a ploy to portray the nuclear issue as a continuing threat.

While Tehran will not relinquish its highly enriched uranium, it says it is willing to down‑blend the material. International inspectors currently have access only to the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Mediation efforts continue, with reports that President Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will meet at the White House.

Category: International

Source: Al Jazeera. Photo: August de Richelieu / Pexels.