TEHRAN: Iran’s army said on Tuesday that it would “open new fronts” against the United States if it resumes military strikes, following remarks by US President Donald Trump who stated he had delayed launching a new offensive in hopes of reaching a deal.
“If the enemy is foolish enough to fall into the Zionist trap again and launches new aggression against our beloved Iran, we will open new fronts against it, with new equipment and new methods,” said army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.
Washington and Tehran have been exchanging proposals aimed at ending the Middle East conflict, which began on February 28. The two sides have held one round of talks so far, with a fragile ceasefire in place since April 8.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates had urged him “to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place”.
He further stated that he had instructed the US military to remain “prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached”.
On Tuesday, Iranian army spokesman Akraminia said the country had used the ceasefire period to strengthen its combat capabilities, although he did not provide further details.
According to ISNA, he also reiterated that Iran maintains control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which he said it has closed and intends to charge ships for passage through.
“The only way for the enemy is to respect the Iranian nation and observe the legitimate rights of the Islamic republic,” he said.
On Monday, Iran said it had responded to a new US proposal and confirmed that diplomatic exchanges were ongoing, despite media reports describing Washington’s demands as excessive.
A day earlier, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that the United States had presented a five-point proposal, including a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear facility operational and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US.
According to the report, the US also refused to release “even 25 percent” of Iran’s frozen overseas assets or provide any compensation for wartime damages.
The report further stated that Washington had made it clear it would only end hostilities once Tehran agrees to formal peace negotiations.
However, Iran has maintained its own conditions, including the release of frozen assets, the lifting of long-standing sanctions, and payment of war reparations.