Iran’s army warned on Tuesday it would “open new fronts” against the United States if Washington resumes attacks, hours after President Donald Trump said he had held off launching a fresh offensive in the hope of striking a deal.
Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said Iran’s military had used the shaky ceasefire in place since April 8 as an opportunity “to strengthen its combat capabilities,” without elaborating. He cited Iran’s ISNA news agency in reiterating that Tehran would continue to manage the Strait of Hormuz and that the US had little option but to “respect the Iranian nation and observe the legitimate rights of the Islamic Republic.”
The warning followed Trump’s Truth Social post that he had paused a scheduled military attack at the request of Gulf leaders, while keeping the US military “prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault” if no acceptable deal is reached. Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said the Pakistani-mediated talks needed more time, while Iran’s foreign ministry described the latest US proposal as “excessive” and offering “no tangible concessions.”
According to Iran’s Fars news agency, Washington’s five-point list demanded that Tehran keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US, while refusing to release more than 25 per cent of Iran’s frozen overseas assets or pay reparations for war damage.
On Monday, Iran officially formed a Persian Gulf Strait Authority to manage traffic through Hormuz, and the Revolutionary Guards threatened to place internet fibre-optic cables passing through the waterway under a permit system, citing “absolute sovereignty over the bed and subsoil” of Iran’s territorial sea. The war began February 28 and the single round of post-ceasefire talks failed to produce a deal.
Source: Ada Derana.
