Iran Casts Doubt on U.S. Diplomatic Intentions

(MENAFN) Iran's Foreign Ministry cast doubt Monday on Washington's diplomatic intentions, with its spokesman warning that America's track record of "making unrealistic demands" makes evaluating the latest U.S. response to Tehran's peace proposal deeply problematic.

Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, addressing reporters at his weekly briefing in Tehran, confirmed that the American reply to Iran's 14-point proposal had been received through Pakistan, which continues to serve as an intermediary between the two sides — though he withheld specifics about its contents.

"The U.S. message was received through Pakistan," Baghaei said. "Given the U.S. practice of making excessive and unreasonable demands, it is not easy to review this response."

Baghaei further complicated prospects for a breakthrough by describing Washington as a party that "constantly changes its views," adding that Tehran would only entertain negotiations focused on ending the war — firmly ruling out any discussion of its nuclear program.

Pushing back on President Donald Trump's portrayal of permitting vessels through the Strait of Hormuz as a goodwill gesture, Baghaei flatly rejected the framing, arguing the world no longer accepts "U.S. claims of humanitarianism." He accused Washington of being unable to escape a "self-created quagmire" of its own making by repeating the same regional miscalculations.

The spokesman also cautioned that threats would yield no leverage against Iran, attributing the recent maritime tensions directly to joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iranian soil. He maintained that the critical waterway had remained secure for global shipping prior to those attacks.

Baghaei concluded by calling on the international community to hold both Washington and Tel Aviv responsible for "deliberately creating instability" in regional waters.

The diplomatic standoff follows a sequence of major escalations: on Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched coordinated strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior military commanders, and civilians. Iran retaliated with successive missile and drone strikes against Israeli and American targets throughout the region and moved to restrict Strait of Hormuz passage for vessels linked to both nations.

A ceasefire came into force on April 8, leading to negotiations between Iranian and U.S. delegations in Islamabad that ultimately collapsed without agreement. On April 30, Tehran submitted its 14-point proposal to the U.S. side via Pakistan, setting the stage for the current impasse.

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