Iran on Monday said a new peace proposal delivered to the United States through Pakistan focuses on securing what it called Tehran’s “legitimate rights,” including lifting restrictions and restoring regional stability, as tensions continue in West Asia despite a fragile ceasefire.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, speaking at a weekly press briefing in Tehran, said the proposal was aimed at ending hostilities in the region and addressing key Iranian demands such as lifting what he described as a U.S. naval blockade on Iranian shipping, unfreezing Iranian assets abroad, ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and restoring broader regional stability.
“We have not demanded any concession. The only things we demanded are the Iranian nation’s legitimate rights,” Baghaei said, describing the proposal as “reasonable and responsible.”
He said nuclear-related issues would be taken up at a later stage, adding that the current focus was on ending ongoing conflict in the region.
The Iranian spokesperson also criticised the United States, saying Washington was pursuing “unreasonable demands influenced by Israel,” after U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly termed Iran’s conditions for peace “totally unacceptable.”
On reports of increased Western naval presence in the region, including by European countries such as France and Britain in the Strait of Hormuz, Baghaei warned against external interference.
“Any interference in issues on the Strait of Hormuz and West Asia will only further complicate the situation,” he said.
Iran, the United States and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire on April 8 after 40 days of fighting triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. However, diplomatic efforts have since stalled despite continued indirect engagement through Pakistan.
Iranian and U.S. delegations held talks in Islamabad on April 11–12 but failed to reach any agreement. Since then, both sides have exchanged proposals via Pakistani mediation while sporadic tensions have persisted around the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Baghaei rejected Western media reports alleging that Iran had been dumping oil at sea due to storage shortages, calling them “completely false” and dismissing reports of an oil spill near Kharg Island as fabricated.
London-based maritime risk firm Windward had earlier reported satellite images indicating an oil spill near Iran’s Kharg Island export terminal, first detected on May 5 and later observed multiple times over 20 hours.
Following the breakdown of post-ceasefire talks, the United States has reportedly imposed naval restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz aimed at limiting Iranian oil shipments—measures Tehran has criticised as economic pressure tactics.