Iran Defends Two-Day Peace Talk Proposal as U.S. Officials Escalate Hostile Rhetoric
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Iran says its proposal to restart peace talks within two days is the most sensible option on the table, while U.S. officials denounce the call for sanction relief and a cease-fire as “outrageous,” deepening the political standoff.
Iran's foreign ministry defended a revised proposal to resume peace negotiations within two days, presenting it as the most reasonable offer available and a test of whether Washington is willing to act in good faith. The plan, presented by Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, asks that U.S. sanctions and a naval blockade be lifted before talks begin and that hostilities cease on all fronts.
Baghaei responded to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's criticism, which labeled Iran's demands "outrageous and ridiculous," by questioning whether the request was in fact unreasonable. He also warned that U.S. pressure on Iraq to close most of its borders with Iran should not be allowed to damage Baghdad's bilateral relations with Tehran.
Rubio, speaking before a G7 foreign ministers meeting in France, said the United States had no progress to report on a breakthrough and noted that several countries continue to engage with Iran. He reiterated that President Donald Trump favors a diplomatic solution but said Iranian demands remain a major obstacle. Rubio added that the United States would consider additional strikes if American forces or shipping in the region were threatened.
Baghaei dismissed a U.S. military task force aimed at restricting Iran's land trade as a diversion, linking it to the Republican losses in recent midterm elections and portraying it as another example of political posturing rather than serious diplomacy.