President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, March 31, 2026, in Washington
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump struck a hard line today in a social media post, demanding that Iran stop blocking the Strait of Hormuz, or the US would bomb the Iranians “back to the Stone Ages.”
A day earlier, President Trump had said the US “will not have anything to do with” ensuring the security of ships passing through Hormuz; that was itself an apparent backtrack from an earlier threat to attack Iran’s power grid and other infrastructure if it didn’t open the strait by April 6.
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Mr Trump has continued to insist that negotiations between the US and Iran are progressing well and claims Iran is “begging to make a deal.”
The Iranians have said that while messages have been sent between Tehran and Washington, there have been no formal negotiations.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said today his country has the “necessary will” to end the war with the US and Israel.
Talking to Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: “You cannot speak to the people of Iran in the language of threats and deadlines.
“We do not set any deadline for defending ourselves.”
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi gives a speech in Tehran, Iran on November 30, 2025. [Ahmet Serdar Eser – Anadolu Agency]
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Iran is not seeking a ceasefire but a complete end to the war across the region, stressing that any resolution must include guarantees against future attacks and compensation for damages, Anadolu reports.
He said contacts with the US do not constitute negotiations, but are limited to the exchange of messages — directly or through regional intermediaries.
Araghchi told Al Jazeera he continues to receive messages from US envoy Steve Witkoff, as in the past, but stressed that it should not be interpreted as formal negotiations.
He said the messages are conveyed through the Foreign Ministry, with some communication between security bodies, adding that there are no talks with any specific entity inside Iran.
Araghchi indicated that the exchange of messages is conducted within an official government framework under the supervision of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
He added that the messages include warnings and mutual perspectives, delivered through specific channels.
Addressing reports that Iran had responded to 15 US proposals, Araghchi said no response has been sent, and Tehran has not submitted any proposals or conditions to date.
He said no decision has been made on negotiations and emphasized that the Iranian people cannot be threatened, urging the US president to address Iran with respect.
On maritime security, Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz remains fully open and would only be restricted to parties engaged in hostilities against Iran, adding that measures have been taken to ensure safe passage for vessels of friendly countries.
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Iranian President Pezeshkian joins protests against US intervention. Photo: IRIB
Though anti-government protests have largely subsided, Iran claims there still persists a threat of possible external aggression from countries such as the US and Israel and has warned of strong retaliation.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the “exploitation of the protests to pursue political agendas, combined with the ongoing effects of illegal unilateral US sanctions, undermines Iranians’ basic rights” and is a “shameful” act.
Araghchi was addressing a letter to the UN Security Council, which is scheduled to meet on the afternoon of Thursday, January 15, to discuss the situation in Iran, where anti-government protests in the last few weeks have captured global attention.
Araghchi expressed concerns over “provocative and irresponsible statements” made by current and former US officials inciting violence and unrest in his country and reiterated accusations of the direct involvement of Israel’s secret agency Mossad in the same.
Earlier, in an interview with US TV channel Fox News, Araghchi reiterated that external elements were responsible for “escalating the situation by carrying out attacks against Iranian security forces and civilians.”
Araghchi reiterated that the protests, which began peacefully, turned violent in order to justify foreign intervention.
“They wanted to increase the number of deaths. Why? Because US President Donald Trump had “stated that if there were killings, he would intervene. Their goal was to drag the US into this conflict,” Araghchi claimed, asserting that it was a plot made by Israel.
Araghchi assured that the Iranian state had full control over the situation now and there were no fresh reports of violence in the country.
Meanwhile, threats of a strike by external forces still continue, with Iranian officials claiming they are fully prepared to face any situation.
Fear of US airstrikes
Though the anti-government protests have largely been replaced with millions-strong pro-government rallies since Monday, Iran is still apprehensive about possible air strikes from the US.
Iran had shut its airspace following strong indications of such possible airstrikes after Trump, addressing the protesters in Iran, claimed “help is on its way” on his social media post on Tuesday, asking the protesters to continue and “occupy institutions”.
The news of the withdrawal of some staff from the US military base in Qatar further escalated the fear of possible US strikes on Wednesday.
Several Iranian officials, including the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned that if Iran is targeted with a military strike, US bases and ships in the region, along with Israeli territories, would be a legitimate target.
Several countries, such as India, and some European nations issued travel warnings to their citizens, asking those who are already there in Iran to leave the country on Wednesday.
Though the airspace was opened after Trump toned down his rhetoric, claiming he was briefed that the violence against protesters had abated, Iran remained on high alert on Thursday, Al Jazeera reported.
Deliberate exaggerations about the number of casualties
Though anti-government protests have largely subsided, Iran continued to restrict internet services on the seventh day in a row on Thursday, with limited accessibility of international calls gradually being restored.
Iran imposed the restrictions after large-scale violence was recorded across the country on January 8.
During his interview with Fox News, Araghchi claimed that the number of people killed in the protests so far does not exceed a few hundred, which includes innocent bystanders killed and the security forces killed by the violent protesters.
Araghchi promised that the state would announce the exact figure soon, dismissing the very high figures quoted in some media outlets, such as CNN, as false.
CNN and several other US media channels have been quoting the relatively unknown US-based Human Rights Activists New Agency (HRANA), claiming the death toll in Iranian protests was more than 2,400.
Araghchi also dismissed the news in the western media about possible hangings of some of the protesters arrested in the last few days.
Later, Iran’s judiciary also refuted the news reports and social media hype around the possible execution of one such protester, Erfan Soltani, arrested on January 10 for unlawful assembly and false propaganda against the state.
The judiciary’s media center called such reports fabricated as no death penalty exists for the crimes Soltani has been charged for in the Iranian laws.
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President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, March 31, 2026, in Washington
