Iran said on Tuesday that no new progress has been made in negotiations with the United States, as multiple Iranian officials issued hardline statements on the talks and the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said on social media on Tuesday that the U.S. response to Iran's rights and demands was "not convincing". He said the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened unless the U.S. fully and explicitly responds to the seven conditions put forward by Iran and put them into practice.
Rezaei said in October that over the past two months, the U.S. had asked Iran to present proposals through Pakistan, Qatar and Iraq. Iran put forward seven conditions and clearly told the U.S. that unless these conditions are met, it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz and would not conduct any negotiations. Iran has not yet made the specific content of the seven conditions public. Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Ali Abdollahi announced Tuesday five principles that Iran believes are necessary for lasting peace in the region, namely ending wars on all fronts in the region; lifting sanctions on Iran and unfreezing Iranian assets; paying war reparations to Iran; recognizing Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz; and the U.S. ensuring it will not commit aggression against Iran again.
Iran's forces "will meet any level or type of threat with an immediate and impactful response and without geographical limitations," Abdollahi issued the warning in a message carried by Iranian media. Abdollahi said Iran does not seek war, but the country's strategy has changed from being defensive to "offensive initiative". He also said "the unipolar world order" has been forced to accept the new reality that "regional nations and powers are capable of ensuring their own security without relying on the U.S. security umbrella". Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that the U.S. is using threats, psychological warfare and media warfare in an attempt to start another war and vainly hopes to destroy Iran as soon as possible. The IRGC said its top priority is to maintain a high state of combat readiness and respond swiftly and effectively to threats of any level and type.
Iranian military spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said any further U.S. act of aggression will immediately meet a more decisive and broader response than before. If a new war breaks out, its scope will not be limited to the Middle East, he said.
Iran says no new progress made in talks with U.S., showing hardline stance
