Published: 10:04, May 3, 2026 | Updated: 11:28, May 3, 2026
Iranian media reveal some details on proposal sent to US via Pakistan
By Xinhua

Vehicles drive past a billboard with graphic showing Strait of Hormuz and sewn lips of US President Donald Trump in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, May 2, 2026. (PHOTO/AP)

TEHRAN - Iran has submitted a 14-point counterproposal to the United States calling for a permanent end to hostilities and a full withdrawal of US forces from the region, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Saturday.

The plan was delivered through Pakistani intermediaries in response to a nine-point US proposal, said Tasnim.

While Washington's plan calls for a two-month ceasefire, Tehran is pushing for a 30-day timeline to resolve key issues, insisting that talks focus on "ending the war" rather than a temporary truce, Tasnim reported.

Iran's demands include the withdrawal of US forces from areas near its borders and guarantees of non-aggression, along with economic steps such as lifting a naval blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets, easing sanctions, and paying compensation.

The proposal also calls for an end to hostilities across multiple fronts, including in Lebanon, and the establishment of a new governing mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route.

Iran is awaiting a formal response from US officials, the report said. The official news agency IRNA reported on Friday that Iran's new proposal for peace talks with the United States had been delivered to Pakistan the previous day.

Iran briefs global counterparts on peace proposal 

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has briefed Asian and European counterparts on Tehran's latest proposal to end its conflict with the United States.

In separate calls on Friday and Saturday, Araghchi discussed regional developments and a ceasefire with Washington with officials from Türkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Russia, South Korea, Japan, France, Italy, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

Araghchi said US and Israeli "military aggression" was driving insecurity in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian Foreign Ministry statements.

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Araghchi said Iran did not start the war and remains open to diplomacy if the United States drops its "maximalist approach," threats, and provocative actions.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said Saturday that it is up to the United States to choose between diplomacy and confrontation.

Gharibabadi made the remarks during a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran, briefing them on Iran's latest proposal to end the war with the United States and Israel, read a statement by the Foreign Ministry.

A tanker (left) and a car carrier are anchored at sea in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from the coast near Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, May 1, 2026. (PHOTO/AP)

"Iran has submitted its plan aiming to permanently end the imposed war to Pakistan as the (peace talks') mediator, and now the ball is in the US court to choose between the path of diplomacy or the continuation of the confrontation-based approach," said Gharibabadi.

Iran is ready for both paths to ensure its national interests and security, he added.

Gharibabadi stressed that Iran is completely and decisively prepared to repel any "aggression" against the country and its people, noting that it has always believed in interest-based diplomacy.

Tehran slams Trump's 'piracy' remarks

Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Saturday condemned US President Donald Trump's remarks that called the US seizure of Iranian vessels "piracy."

"The president of the United States has openly described the unlawful seizure of Iranian vessels as 'piracy,' brazenly boasting that 'we act like pirates,'" Baghaei said in an X post.

"This was no verbal slip. It was a direct and damning admission of the criminal nature of their actions against international maritime navigation," Baghaei added.

Trump on Friday bragged that the US Navy acted "like pirates" in its blockade of Iranian ports. "We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It's a very profitable business," Trump said at an event in Florida.

ALSO READ: Iran: 'Unprecedented action' if US continues maritime 'banditry'

Baghaei called on the international community, UN member states, and the UN secretary-general to firmly reject any normalization of such "blatant violations" of international law.

The United States imposed its anti-Iran blockade on the Strait of Hormuz after post-ceasefire negotiations with Tehran in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on April 11-12 failed to yield an agreement.

The US military has forced 48 vessels to redirect during the US blockade of Iranian ports as of Tuesday, the US Central Command said Saturday.

The ships "have been redirected to ensure compliance with the blockade," the command said in a post on social media platform X.

A child holds an Iranian flag through the window of a vehicle in northern Tehran, Iran, May 1, 2026. (PHOTO/AP)

Trump said Wednesday that he will keep Iran under the US naval blockade until Tehran agrees to a deal with Washington on its nuclear program.

Also on Saturday, Iran's army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said the country's armed forces are controlling the Strait of Hormuz, and no friendly or hostile vessel can transit the waterway without their permission.

Controlling the Strait of Hormuz is "an inherent right" of Iran, of which the country had not made use for years, Akraminia said, according to footage of his remarks carried by Iranian media.

"At present, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps in the west and the country's army in the east are controlling the strait with power, and no ship, friend or foe, will have the right to pass without the permission and authorization of our forces," he said.

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The ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel took effect on April 8 following 40 days of fighting. On Feb 28, the United States and Israel launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior commanders and civilians.

Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the Middle East, while tightening its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and denying safe passage to vessels linked to Israel and the United States.