Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday defended Iran's demands in negotiations with Washington and reiterated Iran's conditions for restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz, as tensions between the two countries remain high.
Baghaei said Tehran's demands in negotiations with Washington are legitimate, while maintaining that any resolution to the Strait of Hormuz crisis depends on meeting those demands.
His remarks came after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized Iran's demands as unacceptable. Baghaei said Tehran's demands were "neither unreasonable nor illegal," and described U.S. attacks during negotiations as "illogical and absurd."
On the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for global oil shipments, Baghaei reiterated Iran's proposal that security could be restored within two days if Washington met Tehran's demands. He added that vessels seeking to transit the waterway must coordinate with Iran.
Iran conveyed a seven-day plan to the United States in September to cease hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The country later said it was ready to shorten the plan's implementation period to two days if Washington met Tehran's conditions.
"Regarding the negotiations, it is very clear. We have made it clear that Iran's proposal, dubbed the 'two-day Iranian plan', itself demonstrates Iran's utmost good faith. Could we have expressed it any more logically that if the United States fulfills Iran's demands within two days, the region will witness positive developments?" he said.
Separately, Baghaei welcomed China's "positive role" in reducing tensions and strengthening security in West Asia, following a visit to Tehran by China's special envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun on Sunday.
"The visit by China's regional special envoy yesterday is a continuation of the close consultations we have with China, both in the bilateral sphere and in the realm of regional security and international developments. Iran-China relations are of great importance," he said.
With Washington and Tehran still far apart on key issues, the prospect of renewed military confrontation remains a major concern.
Iran defends demands in U.S. talks, sets conditions for restoring Strait of Hormuz security
High-quality tilapia raised in Maoming City of south China's Guangdong Province now has greater access to dinner tables across the Asia-Pacific, as China deepens trade ties with regional markets.
In Maoming, tilapia ponds cover more than 17,000 hectares, making the city one of the world's major tilapia production hubs.
The city has been developing its tilapia industry for more than six decades, building it into a sector now worth over 1.4 billion U.S. dollars across the entire supply chain. Its products are sold in more than 70 countries and regions, including markets throughout the Asia-Pacific.
Early in the morning, while mist still hangs over the ponds, fish farmers are already out hauling in the catch. "The workers arrived at the pond at around 05:30 this morning. There are 17 people here to pull in the net. There's quite a lot of fish in this net, about 75 tonnes. That's why it's taking longer to haul it in," said Chen Wenqiang, head of the Aquaculture Department of a local agricultural technology company.
Chen belongs to a new generation of aquaculture professionals who emphasize eco-friendly practices to further improve fish quality.
"Fish need beneficial bacteria to keep their digestive systems healthy. Good fish farming starts with good water, so [the pond] also needs probiotics for better water quality. That is why we add probiotics during the fish farming process to improve both the fish's gut health and water quality. This helps keep the fish healthier and enables us to use fewer or no chemical materials, which makes our fish safer to eat," he said.
China is the world's leading tilapia producer and exporter, and much of Maoming's harvest is destined for overseas markets. Once taken from the ponds, the fish are quickly transported to processing plants, where they are sorted, cleaned and filleted before being frozen for shipment.
The latest data shows the city exported 74,000 tonnes of tilapia in the first half of 2026, up more than 51 percent year on year.
The foundation of this large-scale industry lies in high-quality fish fry, whose quality determines growth speed, disease resistance and, ultimately, the quality of the final product that reaches consumers.
"We have been operating for 22 years. We have achieved leading technical capabilities in areas such as selective breeding, nutrition, and land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). Furthermore, we have brought together a team of world-class experts, and we currently hold a leading position in the market," said Cai Xingqi, general manager of a local fish fry breeding company.
Maoming's tilapia industry stands as a fine example of food trade between China and other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies. In the first three quarters of 2026, food trade between the two sides reached nearly 120 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for more than half of China's total food trade.
China’s tilapia ascends to dining tables of Asia-Pacific countries
