Iran has reiterated its seven demands to end the war with the United States, insisting on the lifting of the naval blockade and sanctions, as Washington continues military strikes on the country. Mediators are working to prevent large-scale US attacks on Iran, with President Donald Trump expected to meet Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani at the White House on Monday.
Ahmad Nafisi, deputy governor for Hormozgan, confirmed on Monday that the southern island of Qeshm was targeted in overnight strikes but no residential or commercial areas or vital infrastructure were damaged. The US did not directly acknowledge the strikes, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Washington’s characterisation of similar recent attacks on Qeshm as 'defensive'.
The conflict follows a 12-day war last year, with the current war seeing repeated US strikes on Iranian air defences and radar installations.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei rejected Rubio's characterisation of the demands as 'ridiculous and really not realistic'. 'Iran’s plan is still the most logical plan on the table. I think it can lead to security returning to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, and create the grounds for a process,' he said.
The demands mostly amount to a return to the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed in June between Iran and the US, but Tehran now has additional stipulations regarding the future of the Strait of Hormuz. The terms include the lifting of the US blockade on Iran's southern ports and the removal of sanctions.
On the nuclear issue, Baghaei said the US announcement of a reward of up to $20 million for information on Iran's nuclear programme was a ploy to 'convey the sense that the Iranian nuclear issue is still a threat' after the Republican Party's losses in midterm elections. Tehran says it will not part with its highly enriched uranium but is open to downblending the material. International inspectors have no access to Iranian nuclear sites except the Bushehr power plant, which Iran says was visited recently. Iran has accused the International Atomic Energy Agency of stepping out of its technical mandate and creating grounds for attacks on nuclear facilities during last year's 12-day war and the current war.
Andreas Krieg, an associate professor at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that Washington's main objection is that Iran is demanding the rewards of an agreement before providing the concessions to justify one. 'Reopening Hormuz within two days sounds accommodating, but it changes the timetable rather than the substance of the bargain,' he said. Both the US and Iran's Arab neighbours would not accept long-term Iranian-approved shipping corridors in the Strait of Hormuz, and Rubio is against Iran's demand for an end to hostilities across the region as it would restrict Israel's military freedom. 'Iran is going beyond a ceasefire, trying to translate its wartime leverage into a new regional security arrangement on its own terms,' Krieg said.
Meanwhile, Iranian authorities continue to warn ships to refrain from 'unauthorised' routes in the Strait of Hormuz. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Hossein Mohebbi rejected the US claim that all naval mines have been cleared, saying 'Nobody dares enter the Strait of Hormuz to remove the mines.' Iranian state television reported 11 tankers attacked over 10 days, with four unable to continue transit. IRGC-affiliated media cited an unnamed IRGC Navy source as claiming on Monday that maritime navigation systems were targeted in the southern areas of the waterway overnight, preventing tankers from transiting as part of the US-coordinated oil shuttle system.
Trump played down the prospects of all-out war on Sunday but said the US military had marked civilian infrastructure such as 38 bridges as targets if the war restarts at scale. Krieg said he expects Tehran to continue a strategy of 'controlled escalation'. 'The new American effort to disrupt Iran’s overland trade will reinforce this strategy. Tehran will increasingly seek to make the Gulf states bear the economic consequences of Washington’s decisions, hoping they will pressure Trump towards compromise,' he said. 'Washington may believe it is conducting a limited campaign of coercion, while Tehran increasingly sees an unrestricted economic war against its survival. At some point, Iran may decide that the costs of continued restraint exceed the risks of escalation.'
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments, has led to attacks on 11 tankers in 10 days, threatening energy markets and supply chains.
- The conflict risks expanding beyond US-Iran, with Israel threatening further action against Hezbollah and Iran seeking to draw Gulf states into the economic cost of the war.
- The outcome of Trump’s meeting with Qatar’s PM could determine whether mediation leads to de-escalation or the US intensifies its campaign, with 38 bridges already marked as potential targets.
Background
The US and Iran have been locked in a direct military conflict since last year, when a 12-day war broke out between the US, Israel and Iran. After a period of relative calm, the current round of hostilities saw the US launch strikes on Iranian air defences and radar installations, which Trump acknowledged on Friday. Iran responded by issuing seven demands to end the war, centred on the lifting of the US naval blockade and sanctions, and a return to the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed in June. Mediation efforts, led by Qatar, have continued, with the Qatari prime minister meeting Trump in Washington.
Key Perspectives
Iran: Insists its demands are the most logical basis for peace, rejecting the US characterisation of them as unrealistic, and says it is open to downblending its enriched uranium but will not give it up entirely. It accuses the IAEA of overstepping its mandate and enabling attacks on its nuclear facilities.
United States: Secretary of State Rubio has dismissed Iran’s terms as “ridiculous and really not realistic” and characterised US strikes as “defensive”. Washington opposes any arrangement that would restrict Israel’s military freedom or give Iran long-term control over shipping corridors in the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel: Defence Minister Katz said the Israeli military mission in Iran remains unfinished and threatened Hezbollah with further territorial losses if it joins an Iranian attack.
Analyst Andreas Krieg: Says Iran is trying to translate its wartime leverage into a new regional security arrangement on its own terms, and that its proposal to reopen Hormuz changes the timetable but not the substance of the bargain. He expects Tehran to pursue controlled escalation, making Gulf states bear the economic cost of US actions, to pressure Washington toward compromise, while warning that Iran may eventually decide continued restraint is too costly.
What to Watch
- The outcome of the White House meeting between Trump and Qatar’s prime minister; any signs of progress or deadlock could set the tone for the next phase.
- The rate of tanker attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and any escalation in US strikes, which could signal whether the situation is de-escalating or spiralling.
- Iran’s next move: whether it continues its strategy of controlled escalation or decides that the costs of restraint exceed the risks of a larger confrontation.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedIran stands by its demands to end the war as the US ramps up military pressure.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Iran stands by its demands to end the war as US ramps up military pressure.”
- SupportedIran has reiterated seven demands to end the war, including lifting the US blockade on its southern ports and lifting sanctions.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Washington appears unwilling to accept Iran’s seven demands to end the war, which include the lifting of the US blockade on Iran’s southern ports and lifting sanctions on Tehran.”
- SupportedMediators are working to prevent large-scale US attacks on Iran.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Mediators are trying to prevent large-scale US attacks on Iran, which Trump has repeatedly threatened, with talks continuing.”
- SupportedTrump is expected to meet Qatar’s prime minister at the White House on Monday.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “There have been signs of a positive breakthrough in mediation efforts, with reports that Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will meet in the White House on Monday.”
- SupportedAhmad Nafisi confirmed Qeshm was targeted on Monday and that no residential or commercial areas or vital infrastructure were damaged.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Ahmad Nafisi, deputy governor for Hormozgan, where the overnight US strikes hit, confirmed on Monday morning that the southern island of Qeshm was targeted but no residential and commercial areas or vital infrastructure were damaged.”
- Partly supportedBaghaei said Rubio characterised the demands as “ridiculous and really not realistic.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Esmail Baghaei, the spokesman of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Monday rejected Rubio’s remarks that some of these seven demands were “ridiculous and really not realistic”.”
- SupportedBaghaei said, “Iran’s plan is still the most logical plan on the table. I think it can lead to security returning to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, and create the grounds for a process.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““Iran’s plan is still the most logical plan on the table. I think it can lead to security returning to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, and create the grounds for a process,” Baghaei said during a news conference in Tehran.”
- SupportedBaghaei said the US announced a reward of up to $20 million for information on Iran’s nuclear programme, which he called a ploy after Republican midterm-election defeats.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Baghaei said the US announcement of a reward of up to $20m for information on Iran’s nuclear programme is a ploy by the Trump administration to “convey the sense that the Iranian nuclear issue is still a threat”, after the Republican Party’s heavy defeats in midterm elections.”
- SupportedInternational inspectors have no access to Iranian nuclear sites except Bushehr, which Iran’s Foreign Ministry said was recently visited.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “International inspectors have no access to Iranian nuclear sites, except for the Bushehr nuclear power plant, where the Foreign Ministry said there was a recent visit.”
- SupportedIranian state television reported 11 tankers attacked over 10 days, with four unable to continue transit.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Iranian state television reported on Monday that 11 tankers have been attacked over the past 10 days, with four unable to continue transit.”
- SupportedMohebbi said, “Nobody dares enter the Strait of Hormuz to remove the mines.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““Nobody dares enter the Strait of Hormuz to remove the mines,” he said on Sunday.”
- SupportedTrump said the US military had marked civilian infrastructure, including 38 bridges, as targets if the war restarts at scale.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Trump played down the prospects of a return to all-out war with Iran on Sunday, but added that the US military had marked civilian infrastructure like 38 bridges as targets if the war restarts at scale.”