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Earlier, Iranian media reported that Iran sent its response to the American proposal through Pakistan.
The official said, “Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran sent, through Pakistani mediators, its response to the latest text proposed by the United States to end the war.” Irna The news agency said.
Iranian News Agency ISNA It stated that Tehran’s response to the latest American peace proposal focuses on “ending the war and maritime security.”
“It should be noted that the main focus of Iran’s response to the US proposal is ‘ending the war and maritime security’ in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.” ISNA According to the news agency, without providing further details.
Iranian state radio Irib It stated that Tehran’s response to the American plan focused on ending the war “on all fronts, especially Lebanon,” as well as on “ensuring shipping security.”
Later, Reuters Citing a Pakistani government official involved in the negotiations, it stated that Pakistan had received Iran’s response and sent it to the United States.
Iran was reviewing the 14-point US proposal to formally end hostilities and open a 30-day negotiating window for detailed discussions on Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief and safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran has largely blocked non-Iranian shipping through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which before the war carried a fifth of the world’s oil supplies and emerged as one of the war’s central pressure points.
Diplomatic sources confirmed earlier that the proposal was conveyed to Tehran through Pakistani mediators.
With US President Donald Trump visiting China this week, there has been mounting pressure to end the war, which has sparked a global energy crisis and poses a growing threat to the global economy.
Trump said on Friday that he expected Iran to respond to Washington’s proposal to reach an agreement to extend a fragile truce and launch peace talks – “apparently tonight.”
Earlier, he had also announced the suspension of “Project Freedom,” the US naval plan to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing progress in talks and requests from Pakistan and others, while maintaining a broader naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Meanwhile, Pakistan also expressed optimism that the US and Iran could soon move towards a peace agreement.
At the weekly press conference on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad expects to reach an agreement “sooner rather than later.”
“We remain optimistic. The simple answer is that we expect to reach an agreement sooner rather than later,” he said. He added: “We hope that the parties will reach a peaceful and sustainable solution and achieve peace, not only in our region, but also at the international level.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi earlier this week amid indications that Washington and Tehran are nearing a preliminary understanding on ending hostilities.
But optimism waned on Friday when a US fighter jet fired on and disabled two Iranian-flagged tankers, which Washington accused of defying its naval blockade of Iranian ports. An Iranian military official told local media that the Iranian Navy responded “to American terrorism with strikes” and that “the clashes have now stopped.”
The latest incident followed a previous escalation overnight from Thursday to Friday in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran seeks to control to extract fees from foreign ships and exert economic influence over the United States and its allies.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened on Sunday to target US sites in the Middle East and “enemy ships” if its tankers came under fire, Iranian media reported.
She added, “Any attack on Iranian tankers and commercial ships will lead to a violent attack on one of the American centers in the region and enemy ships,” a day after the American attacks on two Iranian tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported that the head of the military’s Central Command, Ali Abdullah, met with the country’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since his appointment in March.
State television reported that Khamenei issued “new directives and directives to continue operations to confront the enemy,” without specifying the date of the meeting.
The conflict between the United States and Iran began more than two months ago when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28.
While an agreement has yet to be reached to completely end the war, hostilities have largely ceased since the two sides agreed to a Pakistani-brokered ceasefire on April 8.
After the truce, a historic first round Direct US-Iranian talks These talks were held in Islamabad on April 11-12, with Pakistan playing the role of mediator. The talks ended without reaching an agreement, but also Without collapsing.
With the challenges facing holding a second round, Islamabad returned to its role as facilitator and mediator.
Among the main issues that remain a sticking point between the two sides is unrestricted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and Washington’s demand for long-term commitments on Iran’s nuclear program, including restrictions on enrichment and safeguards against weapons.
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