Tehran (Rajeev Sharma): Iran has conveyed a set of seven conditions to the United States through Qatar as Tehran explores the possibility of restarting negotiations to end the ongoing conflict, while simultaneously warning that it is prepared for further military confrontation if Washington rejects its terms.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Qatar had passed Tehran’s message to Washington and that Iran was now awaiting a response from US President Donald Trump. Among the conditions publicly identified are an end to hostilities on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian funds and the lifting of the naval blockade.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also signalled that Tehran would link the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to the fulfilment of its conditions and the implementation of US commitments. He said Iran would continue to combine military action with diplomacy as it responds to the conflict.
Rezaei, meanwhile, adopted a tougher tone in remarks carried by Iranian and international media. He said Tehran was prepared for what he described as a “decisive war” if Washington refused its demands. He also warned that Iran’s military planning had been revised following earlier rounds of fighting and that another US strike remained a possibility.
According to Rezaei, Iranian military planning is now focused on US naval assets operating from the Gulf through the Gulf of Oman and into the Arabian Sea. He also claimed that Iran had recently conducted a test of a multi-warhead anti-ship missile near a US vessel or aircraft carrier. These claims have not been independently verified.
The Iranian security official further warned that any future response from Tehran could extend beyond military targets to US bases in the region as well as American commercial interests and companies operating locally.
Despite the escalating rhetoric, diplomatic efforts remain active. Qatar and Pakistan have been involved in attempts to revive negotiations between Tehran and Washington following the expiry of a memorandum of understanding last month. Regional governments have also been pushing for an end to the conflict.
Rezaei said that, in practical terms, the war was still continuing, but maintained that Tehran’s strategy was aimed at bringing the conflict to an end as quickly as possible.
The latest developments leave diplomacy and military escalation running in parallel, with Iran awaiting Washington’s response to the conditions it has presented through Qatar.
