Iran has sent a new proposal for negotiations with the United States through Pakistani mediators, according to the state news agency IRNA.
This comes as Donald Trump urged Tehran to “get smart soon” and agree to a deal.
A day ago, Iran supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei struck a defiant tone as he vowed to defend the country’s nuclear and missile programmes. These were key issues the United States has sought to limit through military pressure and negotiations tied to a fragile ceasefire.
Khamenei declared that Americans belong “at the bottom” of the Persian Gulf and said a “new chapter” in regional history is underway. He has not appeared in public since assuming leadership following the death of his father in early airstrikes at the start of the conflict.
Marking National Persian Gulf Day, Khamenei said Iran would secure the Gulf region and put an end to what he described as “the enemy’s abuses” of its waters. He added that new management of the Strait of Hormuz would bring stability, economic growth, and prosperity to countries in the region.
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In a statement broadcast on state television, Khamenei said the Persian Gulf’s future would exclude US influence. “By God's help and power, the bright future of the Persian Gulf region will be a future without America, one serving the progress, comfort and prosperity of its people,” he said.
He also emphasised regional unity, stating that Iran and its Gulf neighbours share a common destiny, while criticising foreign powers. “Foreigners who come from thousands of kilometres away to act with greed and malice there have no place in it, except at the bottom of its waters,” he said.
Khamenei has not appeared in public since assuming leadership following the death of his father in early airstrikes at the start of the conflict.
At the same time, Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, said Tehran remains open to talks, but only on its own terms.
“The Islamic Republic has never shied away from negotiations,” Ejei said in a video published by the judiciary’s Mizan Online. “But we certainly do not accept imposition.”
He emphasised that Iran does not want war or its continuation, while insisting the country will not compromise its principles to avoid conflict.
Ejei also claimed that the United States gained “nothing” from the war and made clear that Iran will not back down in negotiations.