Iran warns France and the United Kingdom against a deployment in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran has warned France and the United Kingdom against deploying its forces in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran argues that any European involvement would only lead to higher energy prices.

Iran has warned European countries against sending warships into the Strait of Hormuz, as details of Tehran's response to the latest US proposal have emerged and significant differences remain between the two sides.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stated that European countries should "refrain from any action that would harm their interests ," arguing that any military intervention in the Persian Gulf would lead to higher energy prices and create further complications. "This war is not only unethical, it is also illegal. The United States and Israel have begun their aggression against Iran. European countries should not be fooled into getting involved in this ," he said.

This warning came as Iran's negotiating position, which has not been fully made public until now, became clearer through official remarks and information disseminated by the media.

What does the proposal contain?

The Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Tehran had submitted its response to Washington through Pakistani mediation. Al Mayadeen and the Wall Street Journal described a multi-page document outlining Iran's position, while noting that significant gaps remained.

According to reports, Iran is proposing an initial cessation of hostilities linked to the easing of maritime restrictions, followed by nuclear talks spread over a 30-day period. Tehran has also offered to dilute some of its highly enriched uranium and transfer the remaining stockpiles to a third country, while rejecting the complete dismantling of its nuclear infrastructure and demanding guarantees that the transferred materials would be returned should the negotiations fail.

Iran has also reportedly agreed, under certain conditions, to a temporary pause in enrichment, shorter than the long-term suspension demanded by the United States, as well as requests for sanctions relief and compensation for war-related damages.

An anonymous Iranian source quoted by the Tasnim news agency, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, rejected parts of the Wall Street Journal report, calling them inaccurate.

Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed Iran's main demands, describing them as "legitimate and reasonable" : the release of frozen assets, an end to what Tehran calls US "maritime piracy" against Iranian ships, and a guarantee of safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. He also stated that any agreement must include a ceasefire in Lebanon, which he described as a red line for Iran.

There is still much to be done

US President Donald Trump, who spoke shortly before rejecting Iran's response as "unacceptable" , said that Washington would obtain access to Iran's enriched uranium stockpiles and warned of possible military action if the sites in question were approached.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the need to eliminate Iran's nuclear capabilities and enriched materials, stating that there was "much to be done" and refusing to rule out military options.

Regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to transfer Iran's enriched uranium to Russia, Esmaeil Baghaei stated that Iran was currently focused on ending the war. "As for decisions that will be made later concerning the nuclear issue, Iranian materials, and enrichment-related matters, as well as the options we might consider, these are issues we will address in due course," he said.

Esmaeil Baghaei also criticized IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, who had stated that even war had failed to destroy Iran's nuclear program and had demanded immediate access to the nuclear sites. Baghaei questioned whether the Iranian facilities could have survived a military attack and said that Grossi's remarks confirmed he had abandoned his technical mandate.

According to him, in order to restore the credibility of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi must explicitly condemn the American and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and commit to preventing them from happening again.