Iran’s envoy to the United Nations said Tuesday that Tehran is willing to engage in “genuine” negotiations to end the conflict in the Middle East but will not accept a temporary ceasefire, as the country defies intense pressure from President Trump to make a deal on the Strait of Hormuz or face escalation.
Amir-Saeid Iravani told members of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that a representative appointed by the U.N. secretary-general to support diplomatic efforts was on the way to Tehran.
“Iran stands ready to engage constructively with all genuine diplomatic efforts, including [through] Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt, as well as diplomatic efforts by China and Russia, and support any credible initiative capable to — of bringing about the sustainable end to this unlawful and unwarranted war,” Iravani said.
His comments came after China and Russia vetoed a Bahrain-led resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping channel that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman that has been blocked to vessel traffic since the initial launch of U.S.-Israeli strikes in late February.
The strait quickly emerged as a flashpoint in the war, as Iran’s de facto blockade shocked the global economy, causing supply chain disruptions and a surge in oil and gas prices.
The Associated Press reported on Monday the U.S. and Iran had each received a draft proposal via third-party Egyptian, Pakistani and Turkish mediators that offered a 45-day ceasefire in exchange for reopening the strait.
The Iranian government has dismissed the proposal as “unrealistic” and vowed to continue waging its retaliatory campaign unless there is a permanent end to the hostilities.
“Iran categorically rejects a temporary ceasefire, particularly in light of the June experience when hostilities resume under false pretext,” Iravani said, referencing Israel’s surprise attack that suspended previous diplomatic negotiations.
“Any viable solution must ensure a definitive and irreversible end to the aggression and establish a just and durable peace, grounded in credible and verifiable guarantees against any recurrence.”
The standoff could reach a new level on Tuesday night, as Trump has threatened to escalate the war by striking bridges and power plants if the regime does not meet his 8 p.m. EDT deadline.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning, despite warnings that strikes on civilian infrastructure would amount to a war crime under international law.
The Iranian government has shown no indication of surrender to U.S. demands, with leaders promising to continue its retaliatory campaign against American and Israeli assets in the region.
“More than 14 million proud Iranians have so far registered to sacrifice their lives to defend Iran,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote Tuesday in a post on the social platform X. “I too have been, am, and will remain devoted to giving my life for Iran.”
The New York Times reported earlier Tuesday that Iran had stopped engaging in indirect talks with the Trump administration, citing three Iranian officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive diplomacy.
Iranian state media agency pushed back on that claim, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed in a post on X hours later that diplomatic efforts were “progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully.”
Sharif called for Trump to allow “diplomacy to run its course” by extending his deadline for two weeks and for Iran to open the strait for the same period “as a goodwill gesture.”
“We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region,” he wrote.
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