Iran's army warned Sunday that a renewed conflict with the United States could outlast the previous fighting, as security chief Mohsen Rezaei disclosed receiving a U.S. message aimed at restarting negotiations.
Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said the U.S. president would have no say over how long a future war lasted or the terms on which it stopped. Iranian state television carried his remarks, AFP reported.
The warning followed U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks that American forces could hit one or two targets in Iran within 10 minutes. Trump also named Pickaxe Mountain, which AFP described as a suspected underground nuclear complex. EconoTimes previously covered Trump's comments on U.S. target sites in Iran.
Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said Saturday he received a letter from U.S. Vice President JD Vance proposing a return to negotiations. Rezaei had not answered, but said he detected a more positive tone from Washington, AFP reported.
Rezaei said Tehran had tied negotiations and reopening the Strait of Hormuz to four demands: restoring access to Iranian assets held abroad, ending the U.S. naval blockade at Iranian ports, lifting sanctions and halting fighting on every front. Iran says it controls Hormuz, a major route for global energy shipments, and has repeatedly targeted ships it said crossed without permission. AFP reported that the U.S. has imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
The conflict's most intense stage began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, AFP reported. Iran later launched missile and drone strikes in several parts of the region, while Iran-aligned groups entered combat in Lebanon and Yemen. AFP said efforts to end the conflict have coincided with U.S. and Israeli warnings that bombardments could resume.
Residents in Tehran expressed different reactions to the prospect of more attacks, AFP reported. Mohadese, a 27-year-old health inspector, said the news worried her but she felt unable to change events. Ebrahim, a 48-year-old vendor, said he did not fear another conflict and said that, in his view, Iran had been at war for 48 years.
