Iran said Monday that Tehran’s response to U.S. demands over the weekend was “reasonable and generous,” despite President Trump’s stern rejection.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei revealed a few details of Iran’s response and said they were reasonable given the circumstances of the war.
“The Islamic republic has proven that it is a responsible power in the region. We are not bullies; we stand against bullies,” Mr. Baghaei said, arguing Iran’s proposal “consisted of reasonable and responsible demands, as well as generous proposals, not only for Iran’s national interests, but also for the good, stability and security of the entire region and the world.”
The proposal reportedly included demands to end all attacks on Iran, lift the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and unfreeze many of Iran’s assets that have been restricted by sanctions.
Mr. Trump, who rejected Tehran’s proposal on Sunday, has not confirmed the details.
The U.S. has also declined to reveal any details about the proposal sent to Iran last week, though reports suggested it included a 30-day ceasefire during which time the two sides could find a comprehensive solution to the conflict.
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Washington’s offer was delivered after an intense flare-up in fighting in the Strait of Hormuz early last week, as the U.S. attempted to guide commercial ships through the waterway.
Mr. Baghaei said the Trump administration’s demands have been consistently unreasonable, without specifying any demands that Iran has rejected.
U.S. negotiators have remained mostly consistent in their demands across nearly a year of negotiations with Iran: Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, it must eliminate its uranium enrichment program and cut its support for regional proxy groups.
Mr. Baghaei implied Monday that, despite the U.S.’s forceful demands on the nuclear front, Iran’s enrichment program is still up for discussion.
“We will discuss that when the time comes,” he said.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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