Iran has formally transmitted its response to a US-backed plan to reduce regional hostilities, sending the reply through Pakistani mediators, Iranian state media reported on Sunday.
Tehran’s foreign ministry had repeatedly said it would forward its “views and considerations” only after a full review. State broadcaster IRNA said the response was delivered to Islamabad “today” and that the immediate aim of the proposed arrangement is to focus negotiations on bringing an end to the war in the region.
The US framework under discussion is intended to halt ongoing fighting, reopen strategic shipping routes, and include measures to roll back elements of Iran’s nuclear programme. Washington has been awaiting Tehran’s formal feedback.
Earlier reporting by Al Jazeera described a draft Iranian counter-proposal made public last week. That draft reportedly consists of 14 points organized into three stages, including a 30-day phase intended to convert a temporary ceasefire into a complete end to the war. The Iranian outline is said to be a direct response to a nine-point plan put forward by the United States.
According to those reports, Tehran’s draft includes demands that Washington lift sanctions on Iran, remove what Tehran calls a blockade of Iranian ports, withdraw US forces from the region, and end all hostile actions — including pressure related to Israel’s campaign in Lebanon.
The diplomatic exchange comes amid heightened tensions across the Gulf and beyond. Iranian officials recently warned the United States that Tehran’s policy of strategic restraint on retaliatory strikes would end, after a series of incidents at sea and on land.
Gulf states have reported fresh maritime and territorial attacks, including an assault on a freighter bound for Qatar. The United Arab Emirates has accused Iran of ordering an attack on its territory; if confirmed, that would be only the second alleged strike on Gulf soil since a ceasefire that began about a month ago.
Iran’s military posture has also been stepped up. State television said military chief Ali Abdollahi met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and received “new directives and guidance” to continue operations against perceived adversaries.
There have been several recent maritime incidents. South Korea reported that unidentified aircraft struck a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz last week. Qatar’s defence ministry said a freighter sailing from Abu Dhabi was hit by a drone northeast of the port of Mesaieed on Sunday. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said a bulk carrier was struck by an unknown projectile, causing a small fire that was extinguished; there were no casualties and no reported environmental damage.
No group has publicly claimed responsibility for those attacks. Iran’s Fars news agency asserted that the bulk carrier hit near Qatar’s coast was flying a US flag and belonged to the United States, a claim not independently verified.
Meanwhile, rhetoric from Tehran has hardened. Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, warned on social media that Iranian restraint had ended and that attacks on Iranian vessels would prompt strong responses against American ships and bases. The Revolutionary Guards similarly warned they would strike US interests in the region if Iranian tankers or commercial vessels were attacked—a stance underscored after an incident in which a US fighter jet was reported to have fired on and disabled two Iran-flagged vessels in the Gulf of Oman.
As talks and counter-proposals circulate, regional security remains fragile: diplomatic engagement is proceeding in parallel with military alerts and a sequence of maritime strikes that have increased fears of broader escalation.
