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'American wishlist, not a reality': Iranian officials cast doubt on US proposal to end war
Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission, has poured cold water on the Axios report claiming the US and Iran were nearing a one-page memorandum to end the war, saying it was an “American wishlist [and] not a reality”.
In a fiery statement on X, he said: “Americans will not gain in a lost war what they failed to achieve in face-to-face negotiations. Iran has its finger on the trigger and is ready; if they do not surrender and grant the necessary concessions, or if they or their lapdogs attempt any mischief, we will respond with a harsh and regrettable response.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, also responded to the Axios report, telling the Iranian Isna news agency that the US proposal is still being reviewed by Tehran.
“Once Iran concludes its assessment, it will convey its views to the Pakistani side,” Isna reported, adding that the US demands detailed in the Axios report “included excessive and unrealistic demands that have been strongly rejected by Iranian officials in recent days”.
Isna reported that the Iranian negotiating team is solely reviewing the “termination of the war” and the nuclear issue is not currently being discussed.
Axios, citing US officials, said Washington was expecting Tehran to respond to its proposal within 48 hours. Among the provisions was Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment. Donald Trump has also threatened to resume the conflict unless Iran “agrees to give what has been agreed”, without saying what those concessions were.
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Reuters has reported a source in Israel saying the country was not aware of Donald Trump being potentially close to a deal with Iran that would end the war and reopen the strait of Hormuz.
Rather, Israel was preparing for an escalation in fighting, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
'American wishlist, not a reality': Iranian officials cast doubt on US proposal to end war
Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission, has poured cold water on the Axios report claiming the US and Iran were nearing a one-page memorandum to end the war, saying it was an “American wishlist [and] not a reality”.
In a fiery statement on X, he said: “Americans will not gain in a lost war what they failed to achieve in face-to-face negotiations. Iran has its finger on the trigger and is ready; if they do not surrender and grant the necessary concessions, or if they or their lapdogs attempt any mischief, we will respond with a harsh and regrettable response.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, also responded to the Axios report, telling the Iranian Isna news agency that the US proposal is still being reviewed by Tehran.
“Once Iran concludes its assessment, it will convey its views to the Pakistani side,” Isna reported, adding that the US demands detailed in the Axios report “included excessive and unrealistic demands that have been strongly rejected by Iranian officials in recent days”.
Isna reported that the Iranian negotiating team is solely reviewing the “termination of the war” and the nuclear issue is not currently being discussed.
Axios, citing US officials, said Washington was expecting Tehran to respond to its proposal within 48 hours. Among the provisions was Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment. Donald Trump has also threatened to resume the conflict unless Iran “agrees to give what has been agreed”, without saying what those concessions were.
France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier group is moving into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as part of efforts by France and Britain to prepare for a future mission to help freedom of navigation on the strait of Hormuz, France’s military said on Wednesday.
The French Armed Forces ministry said in a statement that the aircraft carrier group had crossed the Suez canal on Wednesday, en route to the south of the Red Sea.
This French aircraft carrier strike group was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean shortly after the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, and it can stay at sea between four to five months.
US president Donald Trump said that it was “too soon” to consider face-to-face talks with Tehran, according to an interview with the New York Post as the US waited for a response to its proposal to end the war.
Trump posted earlier on social media that the war with Iran could soon end and oil and natural gas shipments could restart.
But that all depends on Iran accepting a reported agreement that the US president did not detail.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts,” Trump wrote.
An Israeli strike in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa valley on Wednesday killed four people, Lebanon’s health ministry said, with local media reporting the attack took place before the Israeli army issued a warning to evacuate the area along with 11 other towns.
“An Israeli enemy raid on the town of Zellaya in West Bekaa resulted in four martyrs, including two women and an elderly man,” the ministry said.
Lebanese state media said the attack struck the house of the town’s mayor, killing him and three members of his family.
'If Iran agrees, war will be at an end,' says Trump
Donald Trump has expressed optimism that the Iran war “will be at an end” and the strait of Hormuz “open to all” if Iran agrees to the US’s truce proposal.
But he also vowed that the US would resume its bombing campaign “at a much higher level and intensity” than before if Iran doesn’t accept terms that have apparently already been agreed to.
In a post on Truth Social, the US president said:
Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran. If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
More on the IRGC navy’s announcement on the strait of Hormuz – in a series of posts on social media in Persian and English, it thanked captains and shipowners in the Gulf for “complying with Iran’s strait of Hormuz regulations and contributing to regional maritime security”.
It added: “With the aggressor’s threats neutralised and new protocols in place, safe [and] stable passage through [the strait] will be ensured.”
It didn’t detail what the new protocols were, but it is the first reaction from Iran after Donald Trump paused his military operation to help stranded ships pass through the strait.
Oil prices have continued to slide with the Brent crude global benchmark falling 9.2% to $99.79 a barrel - the first time it has been below $100 since 22 April.
It follows reports that the US and Iran were closing in on an agreement to bring an end to the war. Iran has also reportedly announced that the strait of Hormuz could reopen after Donald Trump paused his so-called “Project Freedom” to guide commercial ships out of the economically vital waterway.
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IRGC: safe transit through strait of Hormuz will be possible
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy has announced the strait of Hormuz could reopen following the end of “threats from aggressors”, Reuters reports, citing state media.
The IRGC navy said the safe and stable transit through the key waterway could be possible. It follows Donald Trump’s remarks yesterday that he has paused his “Project Freedom” to open the strait of Hormuz due to “great progress” being made towards a “complete and final agreement” with Iran.
The statement did not specify what the new procedures entailed and thanked owners and captains of ships for respecting Iranian regulations when moving through the waterway.
The Israeli military said it has begun striking what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas of southern Lebanon, despite a ceasefire intended to halt fighting with the Iran-backed militant group.
Earlier the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported “several incidents” during which drones exploded near soldiers operating in Lebanon’s south. The strikes also follow a new IDF order affecting a dozen town and villages in southern Lebanon forcing more families to flee their homes.
