Iran says it is reviewing the latest response from Washington as U.S. President Donald Trump hinted that time is running short for diplomacy, warning that military action could resume if talks fail.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Thursday that Tehran had received fresh proposals from the United States and was studying them carefully. He also confirmed that Pakistan remains involved in relaying messages between both sides after hosting peace negotiations last month.
The comments come six weeks after a shaky ceasefire paused the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran. Since then, negotiations aimed at ending the conflict have stalled, while global concerns over rising oil prices and economic instability continue to grow.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Trump said the U.S. was prepared to move quickly if Iran failed to meet Washington’s expectations.
“If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly,” Trump said, adding that a decision could come within days.
He also repeated that the United States would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, saying the situation had entered what he called the “final stages.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded with a fresh warning, saying any new attack on Iran would trigger a wider conflict that would spread beyond the Middle East.
Tehran’s latest proposal reportedly includes demands Washington has previously rejected, including the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian funds, compensation for war damage, and a reduction in U.S. military presence in the region. Iran is also pushing for greater control over activity in the Strait of Hormuz.
The strategic waterway remains a major flashpoint in the conflict. Before the war, roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic through the route has dropped sharply since fighting began.
Iran recently announced a “controlled maritime zone” in the area, saying ships would now require authorization to pass through waters under its supervision. Tehran says countries it considers friendly may still be granted access under certain conditions.
On Wednesday, two Chinese supertankers carrying around four million barrels of crude oil crossed the strait, while a South Korean tanker transporting oil from Kuwait also passed through with Iranian cooperation.
Although shipping activity has picked up slightly in recent days, traffic remains far below normal levels before the conflict erupted.
The war, launched earlier this year by the United States and Israel, has killed thousands in Iran and Lebanon, displaced large numbers of civilians, and rattled global energy markets. While the ceasefire has largely held, the continued threats from both sides suggest tensions remain dangerously high.
