The U.S. and Iran have submitted multiple peace proposals since Pakistan brokered a ceasefire between the two sides in early April.
Tehran has formally submitted its response to a United States proposal to end the war, Iranian state media reported on Sunday without providing details.
“The current phase of negotiations is focused exclusively on the cessation of hostilities in the region,” Iran’s IRNA news agency reported Sunday afternoon. Tehran’s response has been submitted via Pakistani mediators, according to the report.
“For now, we have decided to focus on ending the war, because this issue is a matter of concern for the entire region, for our nation, and for the international community,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told local media before news of the response emerged.
The U.S. and Iran have submitted multiple peace proposals since Pakistan brokered a ceasefire between the two sides on April 8 that U.S. President Donald Trump maintains is still in effect even as the countries exchanged fire.
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. expected Iran’s proposal over the weekend, adding “the hope is it’s something that can put us into a serious process of negotiation.”
Also on Friday, the U.S. military said its forces struck and “disabled” two Iranian-flagged oil tankers to stop them pulling into an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman. The attacks on the ships near the Strait of Hormuz cast more doubt on the tenuous ceasefire.
“U.S. forces in the Middle East remain committed to full enforcement of the blockade of vessels entering or leaving Iran,” U.S. Central Command commander Brad Cooper said in a written statement.
Trump has warned that the U.S. would “knock [Iran] out a lot harder, and a lot more violently,” if Tehran does not accept a peace deal.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday accused Washington of opting for a “reckless military adventure” every time a “diplomatic solution is on the table.”