Tehran, Iran – Iran has said it has been approached through mediators to end a new standoff with the United States.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that Tehran has received “proposals” to end renewed fighting between Iran and the United States. But he did not reveal details of the new offer or whether it implied a 10-day truce, according to US media reports.
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“The proposals have been raised through mediators and conveyed to us,” he told reporters during a news conference in Tehran.
Baghaei said diplomatic efforts are on par with those of the military after recent political divisions between hardline and more moderate factions.
He also urged countries in the region not to allow the US military to use their territory to launch or facilitate attacks on Iranian soil in the continuation of the US-Israel war against Iran that began on February 28.
War breaks out again
This comes after a recent flare-up between Tehran and Washington, with bridges, roads and military sites attacked in Iran.
Iran has carried out its own attacks against Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and other Arab countries, including against civilian infrastructure, saying it was targeting US forces in those countries.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington “always remains open to diplomatic solutions.” But he added that Iran's missile and drone attacks, which killed three U.S. service members over the past week, are an impediment to diplomacy.
Rubio also stated that a “division” has emerged among Iranian officials: one faction wants to continue the war against the United States and others seek negotiations.
Iran's chief negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, responded to Rubio on Monday, saying that even though the United States says it seeks to end the fighting, it continues to import military equipment to the region.
“We have reached the level of a full professor in the recognition of these American games, and we have prepared on that basis. Actions must confirm the claims, not contradict them,” Ghalibaf wrote in X on Monday.
The United States overnight launched the ninth consecutive day of strikes against Iran, which extended beyond the Strait of Hormuz region to areas such as Tabriz in northwest Iran.
On Sunday, the US military attacked a civilian nuclear power plant under construction in Darkhovin, which Iran said had no military objective. It states that attacks on civilian infrastructure show US opposition to Iran's economic progress and development.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the conventional military have continued to attack US military targets. The IRGC released a video on Monday afternoon showing the Kheibar Shekan, Fateh-110, Zolfaghar and Emad ballistic missiles used in the latest attacks.
“Anyone who destabilizes the security of the Iranian people will not be safe either!” He read a message posted on one of the missiles in Arabic and English.
Oil tankers and other commercial ships have also been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's pre-war energy supply passed. The US naval blockade of Iran's southern ports continues in an attempt to strangle the country's economy.
Land invasion
The systematic US bombing of southern Iran has led to speculation that US forces may be preparing for a possible ground offensive in this region.
Baghaei, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, warned Monday that it was “counting down the minutes to welcome” the American soldiers. This includes any potential attack on the strategically important Kharg Island, from where Iran exports almost all of its crude oil.
Few believe such a military effort by the United States is feasible, much less holding the ground while Iran maintains a formidable arsenal of drones and missiles.
“It's very unlikely that they could take over a place without much difficulty, and then holding it would be another matter entirely,” a state television presenter said on the war-focused program Be Vaght-e Iran. “But even if all that happens, it wouldn't be the end of the world.”
Several Iranian officials continue to discuss the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States last month, which has now been suspended by both sides.
Speaking in Tehran during an event on Monday, President Masoud Pezeshkian defended the MoU, saying that none of its 14 articles indicated a retreat from the principles of the Islamic Republic or national interests.
“We are willing to give our lives to defend the country and the interests of the nation, and we have no hesitation on this path. But at the same time, we must be realistic and also accept the natural repercussions of this firmness,” he said, pointing to the economic pains Iran has been experiencing.
There appears to be no immediate end to the conflict, and Iranian commanders said their tactic to prevent future U.S. aggression, through their own strikes, is working.
“Wisdom dictates that the war continue until it leads to complete deterrence for the Iranian nation,” said Iranian military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia. “If that does not happen, the enemy will again make a miscalculation and commit aggression against Iranian soil.”
