KABUL (Pajhwok): Iran has conveyed its conditions for ending the war with the United States to Washington through Qatar, Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei says.
Rezaei told Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview that Tehran remained in contact with Qatar, which had conveyed Iran’s conditions to Washington, and that Iran was awaiting a response from US President Donald Trump.
He said Iran’s conditions included an end to the war on all fronts, the release of Iranian frozen funds and an end to the naval blockade.
“It is in Washington’s interest to accept these conditions. Trump’s threats will not achieve any results. We are prepared for a decisive war,” Rezaei said.
Qatar and Pakistan have been working to revive negotiations between Iran and the United States following the expiration of a previous memorandum of understanding between the two sides.
Rezaei did not rule out the possibility of another US strike on Iran, saying such a possibility remained significant based on Iran’s military assessments. He said Tehran was prepared for any such scenario.
He said Iran’s military planning had changed following two previous rounds of fighting and that its current focus included US naval assets from the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
Rezaei said Iran had recently test-fired a multi-warhead anti-ship missile near a US vessel or aircraft carrier, adding that the missile’s warheads could be further developed.
He warned that any future Iranian response would be heavy and could include US military bases in the region, as well as US commercial interests and companies operating locally.
Asked whether the war would end soon, Rezaei said that “in practical terms the war is still going on,” but added that Tehran was pursuing a new strategy aimed at bringing the conflict to an end as soon as possible.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Tehran described Rezaei’s remarks as reflecting what he called Iran’s two-sided approach to the conflict — maintaining readiness for diplomatic engagement while preparing for further military confrontation.
David Des Roches, a former Pentagon official responsible for Arabian Peninsula affairs, told Al Jazeera that Washington was unlikely to view Iran’s conditions as a serious opening for negotiations.
However, he said Iran’s apparent decision to drop an earlier demand for war reparations could indicate some movement in Tehran’s position.
In a separate statement after the interview, Rezaei said Iran had also communicated seven conditions to the US government for the start of any negotiations. He did not disclose the details of those conditions.
Rezaei said Washington would need to accept Iran’s rights and conditions to resolve the current situation.
