Iran is daring the United States to accept its terms for ending the war, issuing a two-day ultimatum and warning of escalation if Washington refuses.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi fired off the warning Sunday on X, using last week’s midterm elections to take a shot at the Trump administration.
“American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own,” Araghchi wrote.
The top Iranian diplomat said Tehran’s two-day proposal remains on the table, demanding the U.S. meet Iran’s requirements, including an end to the war on all fronts. If Washington instead chooses war, Araghchi warned, Iran’s forces would respond with overwhelming force.
The threat comes as the war between the U.S. and Iran stretches past eight months and as President Donald Trump weighs whether to launch further strikes following the midterms.
Araghchi’s post suggested American voters turned on Republicans because of the war, a view that has been widely shared in Washington. Vice President JD Vance, viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender, blamed the Iran war for the Democrats’ sweeping victories, which handed them control of both the House and the Senate.
Trump, however, signaled Sunday that he is not eager to restart major hostilities. In a phone interview with CNN’s Jim Sciutto, the president said it is highly unlikely the U.S. will go back to war with Iran as long as negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz continue to make progress. In his “60 Minutes” interview with CBS News, Trump said he is not looking to escalate the conflict, while defending his original decision to strike Iran.
On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry defended the offer after Secretary of State Marco Rubio blasted some of Tehran’s conditions as outrageous and ridiculous.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters it was not unreasonable for Iran to demand that U.S. sanctions and the American naval blockade be lifted before talks begin and that the war end on all fronts.
Iran’s latest proposal shortens an earlier seven-day timeline for restarting negotiations, but still requires Washington to first halt hostilities, lift the blockade and waive sanctions. The U.S. objects to making those concessions before talks resume, and none have been agreed to.
Rubio said the United States would respond if American personnel or shipping in the region came under threat.
Qatar is leading mediation efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments, with support from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey.
Meanwhile, Baghaei dismissed a new U.S. military task force aimed at restricting Iran’s land trade as a diversion following the Republican losses. He also said U.S. pressure on Iraq to close most of its border with Iran should not affect Tehran’s ties with Baghdad.
