Iran has sent its formal reply to the United States’ latest proposal aimed at ending the war between the two countries, Iranian state media said Sunday. The announcement comes during a week of renewed clashes in the Persian Gulf, underscoring the strain on a cease-fire that has held only loosely since April.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran sent today through Pakistani mediators its response to the latest text proposed by the United States to end the war,” the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported, saying the current phase of negotiations was concentrated on halting hostilities.
Pakistan, which brokered the April 8 cease-fire that halted roughly 40 days of joint U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran, has been the channel for the talks. The Pakistani prime minister confirmed in a separate statement Sunday that Iran’s response had been received, per IRNA. The American delegation in past rounds has been led by Vice President JD Vance, with Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner involved.
The New York Times reported, citing Iranian officials, that negotiators are pursuing a 30-day arrangement that would suspend hostilities and lift Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. A broader settlement would be the goal during that month-long pause, the officials said.
The Sunday announcement landed against a backdrop of fresh skirmishes. The U.S. military said it had hit Iranian coastal targets Friday in response to fire directed at three American destroyers. The United Arab Emirates reported a new round of Iranian drone strikes on its territory Sunday.
Even as Iran’s response moved through Pakistan, other Iranian officials struck a more confrontational tone Sunday. Iran’s deputy parliament speaker said “the era of dictation is over” and that military operations would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, per IRNA. Separately, Iran’s supreme leader issued new directives to the country’s armed forces “to confront enemies’ hostile actions,” the agency reported.
This is a developing story.