Ready for US attack: Iran vows to fight back after Trump rejects Hormuz plan

Iran’s army said on Sunday it was prepared for another US attack and warned that renewed fighting would bring greater instability to the region.

The warning came hours after Tehran said diplomacy remained the only way to resolve its conflict with the United States and Israel. US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he had rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and pause the fighting.

Iranian army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said its forces were better prepared than they had been when the conflict began on February 28. The military had improved its equipment and training, he said, as well as its morale and readiness.

“We are more prepared than ever before,” Akraminia said. He argued that the US might launch another attack because it was dissatisfied with its position in the region.

“If the enemy commits another act of aggression, the region will undoubtedly face even greater war, instability and violence than before,” he warned. Neighbouring countries would also suffer, he said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meanwhile, said Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz remained unchanged. He said negotiations offered the only way out of the deadlock and that mediators had yet to convey Washington’s formal response to Iran’s proposal.

“We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them,” Araghchi said.

Iran’s proposal, conveyed to Washington through Qatari mediators, envisages a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait and a pause in regional fighting. That would be followed by broader negotiations on issues agreed by both sides, potentially including Iran’s nuclear programme.

Trump said he had rejected the plan because Tehran wanted the waterway reopened while under pressure. “They want to make a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” he told reporters at the White House.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen sharply during the conflict, disrupting oil flows through one of the world’s most important maritime routes. The US has also imposed an economic blockade on Iran as it seeks to stop attacks on vessels in the waterway.

Araghchi has said a deal on Hormuz could open the way for wider talks. Tehran has indicated, however, that it will not give up its claimed right to enrich uranium or agree to send its highly enriched uranium out of the country.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said his country is willing to negotiate but will resist threats and attacks.