TEHRAN/WASHINGTON/LONDON/CAIRO – Iran's Foreign Ministry said Monday that the US response to Tehran's 14-point peace proposal is difficult to accept, citing Washington's history of "making unrealistic demands."

Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, speaking at his weekly news conference in Tehran, confirmed Iran had received the US reply through Pakistan, which has been serving as a mediator, but declined to share specifics.

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

Baghaei said Iran is dealing with a party that "constantly changes its views", complicating any diplomatic progress. He stressed that Iran will only negotiate on ending the war and will not discuss other issues, including its nuclear program.

Responding to US President Donald Trump's description of allowing ships through the Strait of Hormuz as a "humanitarian gesture", Baghaei dismissed the characterization, saying the world does not accept "US claims of humanitarianism". He said the US cannot escape a "self-created quagmire" in the region by repeating past mistakes.

Baghaei also warned that threatening language would not work against Iran, and said the recent tensions in the strait were a direct result of US and Israeli military strikes on Iran. He said the waterway had been safe for international shipping before the attacks began.

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On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior military commanders, and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks on Israeli and US targets across the region and restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz for vessels linked to Israel and the United States.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8, followed by talks between Iranian and US delegations in Islamabad that ended without a deal. On April 30, Iran delivered a 14-point proposal to the US side via Pakistan.

Trump stops short of saying ceasefire violated

In a phone interview with ABC News on Monday, Trump stopped short of saying the US-Iran ceasefire has been violated, following reported Iranian attacks on commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz and on oil infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"(It was) not heavy firing," Trump said of Iran's Monday attacks.

Asked if the ceasefire had been violated, Trump said: "We'll let you know. Ships are moving. You know, we moved quite a few last night -- big ones. There was no firing. I guess there has been some recently. I'm looking into it."

"I'll let you know, like I'll let everyone else know," Trump said when asked what would happen if the ceasefire is broken. "We just heard about this, and we'll find out about it. What should happen is South Korea should get involved. It was a South Korean ship that got hit. And I would think, if you have a ship that's hit, you should immediately send some people."

No military solution to political crisis

Writing in a post on the social media X on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said events in the Strait of Hormuz make clear that there's no military solution to a political crisis.

Araghchi said as talks are making progress with Pakistan's effort, "the US should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers. So should the UAE."

US military sinks six Iranian small boats 

On Monday, Brad Cooper, chief of US Central Command, said the US military has sunk six Iranian small boats in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian boats were struck by US Apache and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters, Cooper told a news conference.

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Meanwhile, Iran's naval forces, by observing and identifying US military destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz, fired warning shots of "cruise missiles, rockets, and combat drones" around them, Iran's Shargh Daily reported.

'Maximum caution'

Following reports of a US operation to "guide" stranded ships operating near the Strait of Hormuz, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said vessels close to the area should continue to exercise "maximum caution".

In a written response to Xinhua, an IMO spokesperson said: "We are aware of the reports but do not have further details. We continue to urge ships to practice maximum caution in the area."

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States would begin a transit facilitation operation on Monday to "guide" stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

In response, the Iranian military command warned on Monday that any foreign armed forces, particularly the United States, would be attacked if they attempted to approach or enter the strait.

UAE accused of cooperating with 'aggressors'

At his weekly news conference, Baghaei, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, accused the UAE of its "support for and cooperation with the aggressors against Iran".

The behaviors of the UAE "created many problems" not only for Iran, but also for the region's security and the solidarity among regional countries, according to Baghaei.

He added that Iran hopes "all regional countries have learned the necessary lessons from the developments that occurred during these 50 days."

'No plan to target UAE, Fujairah oil facilities'

Citing a senior military source, state-run IRIB news agency reported that Iran has no plan to target the UAE. 

The source's remarks came as the UAE's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that Iranian missiles and drones struck civilian sites. Later, the UAE's Fujairah Media Office said that a fire erupted at the Fujairah Oil Industrial Zone following an Iranian attack, injuring three people.

Citing another military source, the IRIB said Iran had no pre-designed plan to attack the oil facilities, blaming instead "US military adventurism" for creating "a passage for ships to illegally pass through the forbidden passages of the Strait of Hormuz."

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Meanwhile, countries in the Middle East and regional organizations on Monday condemned Iran's attacks on the UAE.

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman spoke by phone with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, expressing the kingdom's strong condemnation and denunciation of "the unjustified Iranian attacks" targeting the UAE, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

On Monday, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi called his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to reiterate Jordan's unwavering solidarity with the UAE and its full support for the UAE's efforts to protect its sovereignty and security.

Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned an Iranian attack targeting an Emirati oil tanker operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, describing the incident as a "blatant violation of international law and the principle of freedom of maritime navigation" and a "flagrant breach" of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary-general of the League of Arab States, condemned in the strongest terms the renewed Iranian attacks against the UAE, while Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), emphasized that this act of aggression represents a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of a GCC member state and a dangerous escalation threatening regional security and stability.