Iran says examining new US proposal as Pakistani mediator visits

AFP , Wednesday 20 May 2026

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic had received a new US proposal and was currently examining it, as a minister from mediator Pakistan visited Tehran.

A man carries an Iranian flag with the portraits of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L), slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C) and Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as people rally in his support. AFP

"We received the points of view of the American side, and we are currently examining them. The presence of Pakistan's interior minister is aimed at facilitating the exchange of messages," Baqaei told state television.

He reiterated Iran's demands in talks to end the war, including the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad and an end to the US blockade on Iranian ports.

In a related context, the US military said Marines had boarded an Iranian-flagged oil tanker on Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman that was suspected of attempting to violate Washington's blockade of Iran.

"American forces released the vessel after searching and directing the ship's crew to alter course," said Central Command, which oversees US forces in the region, in a post on X.

It said that US forces have now redirected 91 commercial ships to ensure compliance with the blockade.