Iran's Acting Defense Minister Seyed Majid Ebn Al-Reza said Sunday that Tehran perceives every "enemy" threat as "real and noteworthy," rejecting any characterization of them as mere psychological warfare.
"We will neither be surprised nor remain passive. We use threats as a basis to increase our preparedness, strengthen our deterrence, and develop our power," Al-Reza wrote on social media platform X after U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier that he had agreed to hold off fresh attacks against Iran.
In his post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States was "locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II," but held off after being "asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries," citing a forthcoming deal that would include the "Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran's nuclear threat."
Earlier U.S. media reports had suggested U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure could begin over the weekend.
Israel's Channel 12 news reported Sunday that Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has agreed to a Qatari-U.S.-brokered compromise deal allowing ships to enter the Gulf through the Iranian-controlled side and exit via Omani waters.
However, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, citing a source close to the Iranian negotiating team, quickly rejected the claim.
Fars also quoted a military source as saying that as long as the U.S. "hostile and malicious acts" continue, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, with vessels permitted to transit only via Iran-designated routes and with the coordination and permission of the Navy of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps.
The source warned that other routes are unsafe, adding that Iran's policies on the strategic waterway remain unchanged.
Iran tightened its grip on the strait on Feb. 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.
During the past days, the U.S. military launched multiple waves of strikes against Iranian targets, saying they were in response to Iranian attacks on vessels in the strait and aimed at "degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping."
Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. military bases and facilities in the region.
Iran says perceives every "enemy" threat as "noteworthy," denies deal on reopening Hormuz Strait
