Iran’s chief negotiator has warned that Washington must accept Tehran’s latest peace proposal or risk the collapse of ongoing efforts to preserve a fragile ceasefire in the Middle East conflict.
The warning came after US President Donald Trump said the truce was close to breaking down, raising fears of renewed fighting in a conflict that has already destabilised the region and shaken the global economy.
The war erupted more than two months ago following US-Israeli strikes on Iran and has since spread across parts of the Middle East despite a ceasefire that has largely halted large-scale fighting for over a month.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran’s latest 14-point peace proposal represented the only viable path forward.
“There is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people as laid out in the proposal. Any other approach will result in failure,” Ghalibaf said in a post on X.
Iran’s response reportedly followed an earlier US proposal aimed at ending hostilities and creating a framework for negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
According to Iran’s foreign ministry, the plan calls for an end to fighting across all fronts, including in Lebanon, the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, and the release of Iranian assets frozen under sanctions.
Trump, however, rejected Tehran’s response, describing it as “totally unacceptable” and insisting the United States would ultimately achieve a “complete victory” over Iran.
In a show of force, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps conducted military drills in Tehran aimed at improving combat readiness against what it described as “American-Zionist threats”.
The escalating rhetoric has heightened uncertainty among ordinary Iranians already grappling with the economic and humanitarian consequences of the conflict.
The dispute has also triggered renewed turmoil in global energy markets. Oil prices surged after Trump’s remarks, while concerns continue to grow over disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies.
Iran has restricted maritime traffic through the strait and is reportedly seeking to impose transit charges on vessels passing through the waterway, further fuelling fears of a global energy crisis.
Amin Nasser, chief executive of Saudi energy giant Aramco, warned that the world is experiencing an unprecedented energy supply shock.
Regional leaders have also voiced concern over the escalating tensions. Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Iran should not use the Strait of Hormuz as a political weapon against Gulf states.
Meanwhile, the conflict continues to spill across neighbouring countries. In Lebanon, Israeli strikes in the south reportedly killed six people and wounded seven others, despite an existing ceasefire agreement.
Naim Qassem, leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, said the group would not disarm and vowed to continue fighting if necessary.
“We will not abandon the battlefield and will turn it into hell for Israel,” Qassem said.
Humanitarian agencies have warned that prolonged disruptions to Gulf shipping routes could worsen food insecurity and fertiliser shortages globally, potentially pushing millions more people into hunger.