Iran rejects US ceasefire terms as strikes hit Qeshm Island
Tehran called the American offer insufficient on Tuesday, one day after US aircraft engaged targets on the strategic island.
By Ethan Cooper ·
Major General Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, rejected a US ceasefire proposal on Tuesday. He stated that Washington failed to explicitly address Iran’s seven specific conditions. Rezaei added that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until those demands were met.
The diplomatic standoff emerged shortly after US air strikes targeted Qeshm Island late Monday. The island serves as a key location for Iran to project power over the Strait of Hormuz. The attacks followed comments from President Donald Trump, who said he did not plan to launch a full offensive after the midterm elections and expressed hope for a deal.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States kept the strikes quiet to limit the risk of escalation. One US official described the actions as defensive measures. The report detailed an exchange where an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps unit fired a surface-to-air missile at a US warplane. The US aircraft returned fire in self-defense. A second strike occurred after the US intercepted a missile launched from Qeshm toward a commercial vessel.
Iranian authorities announced that they downed one US MQ-9 Reaper drone and two Lucas drones near the strait on Tuesday. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the responsibility now lay with Washington. He characterized Tehran’s response to the Qatari-brokered proposal as strong and rational. Ghalibaf warned that Iran would not submit to threats or military action.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei outlined a seven-step plan for a diplomatic solution on Monday. He said the process could be implemented within two days. The proposal requires the US to end its blockade of Iranian ports and waive restrictions on Iranian oil sales. It also calls for the cancellation of new sanctions. Iran would then reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The final step involves negotiations on the nuclear file.
The two nations signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding in the spring to advance talks. The agreement was never implemented. Negotiations collapsed partly because the US resisted granting Iran control over traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
