Iran Conveys Seven-Point Peace Terms to US, Threatens Strait of Hormuz Closure

Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei announced Saturday that Tehran has formally conveyed its conditions for ending the war to the United States through Qatari mediators and is awaiting President Donald Trump's response. The stated conditions include ending the war on all fronts, releasing frozen Iranian assets, and lifting the US naval blockade on Iranian ports. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reinforced this position, declaring that Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping until the US accepts Tehran's terms and recognizes what Iran describes as the Iranian people's legitimate rights.

Despite pursuing diplomatic channels with Qatar and Pakistan as intermediaries, Rezaei also signaled Iran's military readiness, stating that another US strike was "very much on the cards" and that Tehran had adjusted its military planning to focus on US naval assets across the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Arabian Sea. He claimed Iran had recently test-fired a multi-warhead anti-ship missile near a US vessel or aircraft carrier and warned that any future Iranian response would target US bases and American commercial interests in the region. On the nuclear question, Rezaei said Iran has not decided to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, though he cautioned that further sanctions or a UN Security Council referral could prompt such a withdrawal.

The diplomatic effort comes after a June memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran expired in July, when the Trump administration lifted a temporary pause on sanctions against Iranian oil sales. Rezaei indicated that Iran believes it is in Washington's interest to accept Tehran's conditions, while Trump stated this week he faced a "big decision" about whether to resume major military action against Iran. David Des Roches, a former Pentagon director of Arabian Peninsula affairs, told Al Jazeera that Washington would likely view Iran's terms as unrealistic, though he noted Iran's apparent removal of an earlier demand for war reparations as a potential sign of movement in negotiations.

Regional tensions remain high amid escalating violence between Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia. On Saturday, smoke and flames were observed near Riyadh's main airport following Houthi claims of attacks on "sensitive sites" using ballistic missiles and drones. Yemen's foreign minister Afrah al-Zouba rejected the characterization of Yemen as an Iranian bargaining chip, emphasizing that Yemen's future must be decided through Yemeni political processes and warning against Iranian support that strengthens Houthi capabilities and threatens regional shipping routes. The Washington Post reported separately that US military fatalities during the Iran war exceed Pentagon disclosures by at least four, though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied the report.