Iran says US ceasefire proposal 'insufficient' as strikes are reported on Qeshm Island

Iran cast doubt on the chances of a deal with the US on Tuesday, after the US carried out air strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island, with the fate of last-minute negotiations between the two sides uncertain. The air strikes, which occurred late on Monday, came after US President Donald Trump said he did not plan to attack Iran after the midterm elections and voiced hope for a deal. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said an agreement could be reached and that the government was “authorised” to renew a truce.

Despite Trump's messaging, there are signs Israel is pushing the US into a resumption of hostilities. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Israel has shared intelligence with the US and Gulf states claiming that Iran is considering the use of chemical weapons against them. The report recalls erroneous claims ahead of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq that Saddam Hussein had chemical weapons. The chances of a deal also appeared uncertain on Tuesday after the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, rejected an offer passed to Tehran from Qatari negotiators.

“America’s response to the demands of the Iranian nation was insufficient. They must fully and explicitly address Iran's seven conditions and act upon them; only in this case will the Strait of Hormuz be reopened,” he said on X. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Last-minute negotiations to avert what officials and analysts in the region say could be a return to full-scale war took place against the backdrop of US air strikes on Qeshm Island, a strategic place that Iran has used as it attempts to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz.

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the strikes on Qeshm, said the US was deliberately keeping the attacks quiet to reduce the risk of escalation. One US official described the strikes as “defensive” in the report. According to the report, in one exchange, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired a surface-to-air missile at a US warplane, which fired back in self-defence. Another strike occurred after the US intercepted a missile fired from Qeshm at a commercial vessel.

Iran also said it downed a US MQ-9 Reaper drone and two Lucas drones near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Houthis launched cross border raids on Saudi military posts, sources say Read More » Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the ball was in Washington's court after Tehran had delivered what he described as a "strong and rational response” to the proposal conveyed by Qatar. "The enemy seeks to force the Iranian nation into submission through threats and military action, but they are sorely mistaken; Iran will not submit," Qalibaf said.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Tehran has a seven-step proposal for a diplomatic solution that could be implemented in two days. The plan would call for the US to end its blockade on Iranian ports, Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz waterway, a US waiver on Iranian oil sales, the cancellation of new sanctions on Iran, and then talks on the nuclear file. The US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in the spring and then signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding to advance talks, but it was never implemented.

The talks collapsed in part over the US’s reluctance to agree to Iran controlling traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Copyright © 2014 - 2026 . Middle East Eye. All rights reserved. Only England and Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters. Middle East Eye ISSN 2634-2456