Iran said the demands listed in the US peace proposal are “excessive and unreasonable,” adding that both sides have only communicated through intermediaries so far.
“I wonder how many people in America take the claims of American diplomacy seriously! Our task is clear, unlike the other side, which keeps changing its position,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to Al Jazeera, which cited semi-official Tasnim agency.
“Iran has been clear about its position from the beginning, and we know very well what the framework is that we are considering. The material conveyed to us has been excessive and unreasonable requests,” he said.
Tehran’s latest statement comes against the backdrop of Pakistan hosting delegations from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in Islamabad in an effort to de-escalate the West Asia conflict. Last week, Pakistan had forwarded US President ’s 15-point peace proposal to Tehran.
“The meetings that Pakistan has are a framework that they established themselves and we did not participate in. It is good for the countries of the region to be concerned about ending the war, but they should be careful about which side started the war,” the Iranian spokesperson said.
In one of his latest comments, Trump on Sunday (local time) said that Washington has been in contact with Tehran, “directly and indirectly”. Speaking aboard the Air Force One, the Republican leader said new leadership in Iran has been “very reasonable.”
However, in an interview with Financial Times on the same day, Trump said he could possibly seize Kharg Island – which handles 90 per cent of Tehran’s Kharg Island – a move that would involve US ground troops. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” the US President said.
Tehran has choked off about a fifth of global energy supplies with its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since the war began with the US-Israeli assault on February 28.
On the other hand, Washington has been building up forces in the Gulf, amid recurring reports of a to take over Kharg Island. The US Department of Defense had recently sought $200 billion in additional funds for the war from Congress.
The Islamic Republic has signalled its awareness of these developments and has resorted to psychological warfare, as global fuel prices soar and US deals with strained relations with NATO allies over the conflict.
On Saturday, the front page of The Tehran Times read: “Welcome to Hell.” It added that “US troops who set foot on Iranian soil will leave only in a coffin.”
On Sunday, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who has been among the most vocal critics of Washington in the establishment in recent days, said, Tehran is “ on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever.”
“As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation,” he added.
