Iran calls US greatest threat to international peace, says its demands are unreasonable

Iran calls US greatest threat to international peace, says its demands are unreasonable

The US is “the greatest threat to international peace and security,” says Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei in a press conference a day after US President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s response to the latest ceasefire proposal.

“The very presence of the United States in the region, the US military bases in the region,” says Baghaei, “are an example of creating a cycle of violence and bullying in the region.”

He accuses the US of having “unreasonable demands” for a ceasefire, while calling Iran’s eminently reasonable.

Baghaei lists Iran’s demands as “an end to the war, lifting the [US] blockade and piracy, and ⁠releasing Iranian assets that have ⁠been unjustly frozen in banks.”

The demands also include “safe passage through the Strait ⁠of Hormuz, ⁠and establishing security in the region and Lebanon,” he says, calling Iran’s proposal “a generous and responsible ‌offer.”

The US has been blockading Iran’s ports as Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon as part of the talks as well; while there is technically a truce in place there, it has largely unraveled.

“Iran has shown that it is a responsible power in the region, and at the same time, we are not bullying,” Baghaei says. “We are against bullying.”

Baghaei calls on European countries not to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz.

“They should refrain from any move that would undermine their interests,” he says. “This war is not only unethical but also illegal. The US and Israel started their aggression against Iran. European countries shouldn’t be fooled.”