Iran rejected the latest threats from US President Donald Trump, dismissing his ultimatum regarding the Strait of Hormuz while simultaneously proposing new conditions for opening the key waterway and pointing out the risk of more widespread disruption of global trade routes.
In a publication on X (formerly Twitter, blocked in the territory of the Russian Federation), the speaker of the parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called Trump's warning about strikes on Iranian infrastructure 'reckless'.
«You will gain nothing through war crimes. The only real solution is respect for the rights of the Iranian people and to stop this dangerous game.»
Tehran has also set a new condition related to any opening of Hormuz. Presidential spokesperson Seyed Mohammad Mehdi Tabatabai stated that transit through the strait could resume only if part of the revenues is allocated for compensating Iran for war-related damages, effectively linking access to the waterway with financial concessions.
At the same time, senior officials have indicated that the conflict may spread beyond the Persian Gulf. Ali Akbar Velayati, a former foreign minister and advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, warned that the 'resistance front' could target the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea — another critical point for global trade.
«If the White House is thinking about repeating its foolish mistakes, it will quickly realize that the flow of global energy and trade can be disrupted by a single signal,» Velayati said.
About 12% of global trade passes through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and it has previously been targeted by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. Any disruption there will exacerbate the consequences of the near-total halt of traffic through the Hormuz Strait, which has already led to a sharp rise in oil and gas prices.
Iran's latest response came after Trump set a Tuesday deadline for Tehran to open Hormuz, warning of escalation if the demands were not met.
«If they do not comply with this, if they want to keep it closed, they will lose every power plant and every other enterprise they have throughout the country,» Trump said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
While the U.S. president has also suggested that a deal could be reached quickly, the tone of Iranian officials indicates a hardening stance: new demands and broader threats increase the risk of a longer conflict.