Tehran maintains its stance after Trump rejected its response to the ceasefire proposal

Tehran announced on Monday that it was sticking to its positions after US President Donald Trump rejected its response to his proposal to end the war, which led to a sharp rise in oil prices and weakened hopes for an imminent settlement to a regional conflict with international repercussions.

The day after Trump said that the Iranian response via Pakistan, which is leading the mediation efforts, “I didn’t like it, and it’s totally unacceptable,” Tehran confirmed that it had only asked for what it considers legitimate rights.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said at the weekly press conference on Monday, commenting on the content of the response, “We didn’t ask for any concessions… The only thing we demanded was Iran’s legitimate rights”.

He added that the Iranian demands included ending the war in the region, referring also to Lebanon where Israel is confronting the Tehran-backed Hezbollah, ending the US naval blockade imposed by Washington in response to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital strategic waterway for the global economy, and releasing the assets belonging to the Iranian people that have been unjustly held for years in foreign banks.

From his part, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X on Sunday, following his country’s delivery of its response: “We’ll never bow down to the enemy, and if there is talk of dialogue or negotiation, this does not mean surrender|”.

Iranian state television reported on Sunday that the response focuses on ending the war on all fronts, especially in Lebanon, and on ensuring the security of maritime navigation.

Tehran has proposed a gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for lifting the US naval blockade on its ports, and prepared to dilute a portion of its enriched uranium and send the remainder to a third country.

The United States, Israel and other countries suspect that Iran is seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon through uranium enrichment, which Tehran denies, asserting the peaceful nature of its activities and its right to civilian nuclear energy.

In an interview likely conducted before the announcement of the Iranian response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS’s 60 Minutes, “I think the war has achieved a lot, but it’s not over yet because there is… enriched uranium that must be moved out of Iran… There are still uranium enrichment sites that must be dismantled”.

Trump, for his part, said in a press interview that Tehran had been militarily defeated, and that its stockpile of enriched uranium could be withdrawn whenever we want to.

In addition to the nuclear issue, the situation in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz is a major point of contention between the United States and Iran, given its impact on maritime shipping and global energy prices.

Iran controls this vital waterway for transporting oil, gas, and fertilizers, and has established a payment mechanism to impose fees on ships attempting to pass through it.

Washington responded by imposing a blockade on the Islamic Republic’s ports.

The head of a UN task force warned on Monday that restricting the passage of fertilizers through the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a massive humanitarian crisis within weeks.

“We’ve a few weeks to avoid what is likely to be a huge humanitarian crisis,” Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the team responsible for ensuring the safe passage of fertilizers.

He added, “We could see a crisis that forces an additional 45 million people to face famine”.

In related context, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser warned on Monday that the war had caused the biggest shock in the energy sector.

He told investors during a call that the energy supply shock that began in the first quarter is the largest the world has ever seen.

He added, “Even if the Strait of Hormuz were to reopen today, it would take months for the market to rebalance, and if its reopening is delayed by a few more weeks, the return to normalcy will extend until 2027”.

The hours leading up to the announcement of Iran’s response saw an escalation in the Gulf waters, with clashes between Iranian and American forces and attacks on ships.

In Qatar, a cargo ship sailing from Abu Dhabi was targeted by a drone within its territorial waters, according to the Ministry of Defense.

Kuwait was also targeted by drones of unidentified origin, while Abu Dhabi accused Tehran of being behind drone attacks targeting its territory, which were subsequently intercepted.

These attacks came two days after the US military targeted two Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman leading to the Strait of Hormuz, according to Tehran, which confirmed that it had retaliated against the attack.

Britain and France are working to form an international coalition to secure the strait after a settlement is reached in the dispute.

London announced that the two countries’ defense ministers will chair a video conference on Tuesday with about forty defense ministers from countries willing to contribute to this mission, however, Tehran warned that any military deployment would lead to a decisive and immediate response from its armed forces.

The war spread to Lebanon starting on March 2, after Hezbollah launched missiles towards Israel in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the US-Israeli attack on Tehran.

Israel responded with a campaign of airstrikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

Despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreement, Israel continues to launch attacks, including demolishing homes in southern towns, and Hezbollah retaliates with attacks on Israeli forces.

The Lebanese president and prime minister asked the US ambassador in Beirut on Monday to pressure Israel to halt its attacks, days before Washington is set to host a third round of direct talks between the two countries.

Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since March 2 have killed 2,869 people, according to the latest figures from authorities.

For his part, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the ceasefire agreement with Iran was in the intensive care unit, as Tehran stuck to its positions after he rejected its response to his proposal to end the war.

Iran’s response and Trump’s swift rejection of it caused a further rise in oil prices and weakened hopes for an imminent settlement to a regional dispute with international repercussions.

Trump told reporters at the White House that “the ceasefire is on life support, like a doctor walking into a room and saying your loved one has a one percent chance of survival”.

He pledged to achieve a “complete victory” in the war launched by Washington and Israel on February 28, arguing that Iran believes “I’ll get tired of this… I’ll get bored or I’ll be under some pressure,” stressing that “there is no pressure”.