Tehran — Iran on Wednesday accused the United States of making “extreme and unreasonable” demands, while again denying claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that negotiations are underway for a ceasefire.
According to Iran’s ISNA news agency, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said: “Messages have been received through intermediaries, including Pakistan, but there are no direct negotiations with the United States,” adding that Washington’s demands are “extreme and unreasonable.”
State television also quoted him as saying: “We are prepared for any kind of attack, including a ground offensive,” while President Trump maintained that Tehran is seeking a ceasefire.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump stated that Iran had requested a ceasefire, indicating he would not consider ending the war unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened—claims that Tehran categorically denied.
Hours after saying military operations would end within two to three weeks regardless of whether an agreement is reached, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that “the new leader of the Iranian regime has just requested a ceasefire from the United States.”
He added: “We will consider that when the Strait of Hormuz is open, free, and safe. Until then, we will continue bombing Iran until it is completely destroyed.”
In response, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement that the U.S. president’s remarks are “false and baseless.”
More than a month into the war that erupted following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, Trump has continued to send mixed signals about whether Washington intends to escalate or quickly end the conflict.
He is scheduled to deliver a speech at 9:00 p.m. local time (01:00 GMT), which he said would include “very important information.”
On Monday, Trump had threatened to “destroy” the strategic Kharg Island, along with Iran’s oil wells and power stations, if a swift agreement is not reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been closed since the start of the war due to Iranian attacks and threats.
However, he later said on Tuesday that reaching a deal or not “does not matter,” adding in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office that ending the conflict could happen “very soon,” possibly within “two or maybe three weeks.”
Earlier Wednesday, Tehran confirmed it had not responded to a 15-point U.S. proposal presented last week by Trump to end the war. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that there are no negotiations.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said: “I receive direct messages from (U.S. envoy Steve) Witkoff, as before, and through our friends in the region, and we respond to these messages when necessary.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in an open letter addressed to the American people, described U.S.-Israeli attacks on vital infrastructure as a “war crime.”
Strait Closed to “Enemies”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed to the country’s “enemies.”
In a statement broadcast on state television, it said the strait is under “full and dominant control” of its naval forces and “will not be opened to the enemies of this nation.”
Meanwhile, a series of explosions shook the Iranian capital. An AFP correspondent reported powerful blasts in western Tehran, though the specific targets were not immediately clear.
Hours earlier, airstrikes hit areas near the former U.S. embassy in Tehran, damaging parts of the building’s walls.
The Russian embassy reported that an Orthodox church in the city was struck by air raids, causing damage but no casualties.
Iranian state television also reported explosions Wednesday morning in northern, eastern, and central Tehran, before Israel announced it had carried out a series of large-scale strikes in Iran.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it struck “underground military targets in the heart of Tehran with precision munitions.”
According to Fars News Agency, steel industrial complexes in central and southwestern Iran were damaged in U.S.-Israeli strikes.
In response, the Iranian military announced Wednesday evening the launch of a new wave of missiles and drones targeting Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf.
The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the Iranian armed forces’ main operations command, said the targets included Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean coast and Eilat on the Red Sea, as well as U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.
The Israeli military said its air defenses intercepted a missile launched from Yemen early Wednesday, which Houthi forces later confirmed—marking their third such operation since declaring involvement in the war.
Late Wednesday into Thursday, Israel said its air defenses were also working to intercept missiles launched from Iran.
More Than 1,300 Dead
In the Gulf, reports from Kuwait and Bahrain indicated fires broke out following Iranian attacks.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted an oil tanker it claimed belonged to Israel. Qatar had earlier reported that a tanker was struck in its territorial waters.
A QatarEnergy tanker was hit by a missile in Qatari waters, with authorities blaming Iran.
In the UAE, a Bangladeshi worker was killed by shrapnel following the interception of a drone, according to the official WAM news agency. An Indian national was also injured by shrapnel in an industrial area in Umm Al Quwain.
In northwestern Iraq, the Popular Mobilization Forces said two of its members were killed and four others wounded in strikes in Nineveh province, blaming the United States and Israel.
A fire also broke out at an oil storage facility belonging to a British company in Iraq’s Kurdistan region after a drone attack, though no casualties were reported.
In Lebanon, the death toll from Israeli strikes since the start of the war with Hezbollah on March 2 has exceeded 1,300, according to the Health Ministry.
A senior Hezbollah figure, Youssef Hashem, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s Jnah area, in what security sources described as one of the highest-ranking figures targeted since the war began. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the strike killed seven people.
Maritime Security Concerns
As Trump pressures countries that have refused to assist in securing the Strait of Hormuz, London is set to host a virtual meeting Thursday involving representatives from around 30 countries willing to act to restore and safeguard maritime navigation in the strait once the war ends.
In recent weeks, Trump has also escalated rhetoric toward NATO allies, calling them “cowards” and saying in a post that “NATO without the United States is a paper tiger,” a characterization he repeated in an interview with The Telegraph on Wednesday.
In response, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said NATO remains “the most effective military alliance the world has ever known,” emphasizing that it has guaranteed security for decades and that the UK remains fully committed to it.
French President Emmanuel Macron also confirmed that France would not participate in the war, noting that it had not been consulted—responding to criticism over France’s refusal to allow U.S. military aircraft carrying equipment to fly over its territory.
— AFP
