Iran has sent its response to US proposals to end the war via mediators in Pakistan, Iranian state media report.
No details have been released. The US has not made details of its proposals public, either, but reports suggest they centre on a 14-point memorandum of understanding, which could lead to negotiations on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
A ceasefire meant to facilitate talks to end the war launched by the US and Israel in February has been largely observed, despite occasional exchanges of fire.
However, Iran has continued to block the Strait of Hormuz – leading to a rise in world oil prices – and the US has been enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports to exert pressure on Tehran to agree to its terms.
The US naval blockade has infuriated Iran.
On Sunday, President Masoud Pezeshkian: “We will never bow our heads before the enemy.”
In a post on X soon after, Pezeshkian did not directly reference the proposal but said: “We will never bow our heads before the enemy, and if talk of dialogue or negotiation arises, it does not mean surrender or retreat.
“Rather, the goal is to uphold the rights of the Iranian nation and to defend national interests with resolute strength.”
US President Donald Trump this week predicted that the war in Iran will be “over quickly” and said that most people “understand” his goal of ending Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
US news outlet Axios reported that the one-page, 14-point memo, includes provisions such as a suspension on Iranian nuclear enrichment, the lifting of sanctions, and restoring free transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
It cited two US officials and two other sources – all unnamed – whom it described as briefed on the issues. These sources were reported as saying that many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached.
A senior member of Iran’s parliament previously dismissed it as a “wish list”.
Earlier, Iran warned its neighbours about complying with US sanctions.
Military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz would face “severe consequences” if they did not co-operate with Tehran first, Irna news agency reported.
Akraminia said Americans “will never be able to turn this vast expanse in the northern Indian Ocean into a real blockade by covering it with their fleet”.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for oil and gas, has largely stopped [AFP via Getty Images]
Tehran has leveraged its effective control over the waterway – through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas usually flows – in the war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on 28 February.
It has warned – and in some instances attacked – vessels trying to cross the strait.
The US has a significant military presence across the Gulf, with bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Iran has also retaliated against Arab allies of the US in the Gulf.
The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) – which monitors international shipping routes – said a bulk carrier had been “hit by an unknown projectile” about 23 nautical miles (43km) north-east of Doha in Qatar, causing a small fire but no casualties.
Iran’s Fars news agency later cited an unidentified source as saying that vessel had been “sailing under the US flag and belonged to the United States”.
Also on Sunday, Kuwait said drones had entered its airspace and that the military had “dealt with them”.
Hours later, the UAE said its air defences had intercepted two drones coming from Iran.
Defence ministers from more than 40 nations will meet on Monday to discuss UK-led plans to protect shipping in the strait.
John Healey and his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin will co-chair the meeting, where the coalition partners are expected to outline how they might police maritime traffic once hostilities cease.
Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on 6 May that if Iran did not agree to a deal, “the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before”.
