Iran says conditions to re-engage in talks, end war sent to US via Qatar

Iran has presented Washington with a formal list of demands aimed at ending the war, Mohsen Rezaei told Al Jazeera, saying Qatari mediators have delivered Tehran’s terms and that the country is waiting for a response from President Donald Trump. Rezaei, who assumed the role as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council about a month ago, summarized Iran’s conditions as an end to hostilities on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian funds, and the removal of a naval blockade. Rezaei said Iran remains open to diplomacy while continuing to prepare militarily. He warned the United States that its threats would be ineffective and said Tehran was ready for a “decisive war,” while also noting that a new US strike against Iran was “very much on the cards” according to Iranian military assessments. He described a shift in Iran’s military planning toward targeting US naval assets across waters from the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and said any strikes beyond that range toward the Indian Ocean would be outside Iran’s reach. The security chief reported that Iran recently test-fired a multi-warhead antiship missile near a US vessel or carrier, and said the warheads could be further developed. He also indicated that future Iranian responses could be intense and might include attacks on regional US bases, local US commercial interests, and companies operating in the area, similar to previous rounds of the conflict. Meanwhile, mediators Qatar and Pakistan have been attempting to revive talks since a memorandum of understanding between the sides expired last month. Rezaei rejected US accusations that Iran breached the MoU by striking a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, arguing Iran acted only after US strikes on Bandar Abbas and an Iranian surveillance platform. He said any dispute over the agreement required recourse to a committee agreed between Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and US Vice President JD Vance, which Washington subsequently withdrew from. On nuclear policy, Rezaei said Iran has not yet decided to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and continues to cite a fatwa from former Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini against nuclear weapons, though he acknowledged future actions by Washington could push Tehran toward withdrawal. Rezaei also addressed regional issues, denying Iranian involvement in Yemen’s war and offering Tehran’s readiness to mediate between Yemeni parties. He dismissed suggestions that Iran would close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, calling that a Yemeni matter tied to Houthi actions, and said Tehran had once been close to announcing an agreement with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz that remains ready but may need regional endorsement before being publicized.