Iran announces new maritime control zone in Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing US talks

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has announced a new maritime control zone in the Strait of Hormuz as per a report by Tasnim News Agency on MondayAccording to the Iranian state broadcaster the IRGC declared a new maritime control area in the Strait of Hormuz The new zone of smart control has the line between Mount Mobarak in Iran and south of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates in the south and the line between the end of Qeshm Island in Iran and Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates in the westMeanwhile Irans Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has confirmed that officials are currently assessing a counterproposal from the United States aimed at halting the ongoing conflict according to a report by Al JazeeraAddressing a press conference Baghaei noted that the US message was received through Pakistan and stated that he will not discuss the details of the issues raised at this time because these issues are still under reviewThe spokesperson highlighted the difficulties in the negotiation process suggesting that the American approach of making excessive and unreasonable demands ensures the proposal is not easy to reviewAddressing recent media coverage regarding Tehrans atomic ambitions Baghaei dismissed reports concerning negotiations over its nuclear programme as being mostly speculationAs reported by Al Jazeera the spokesperson clarified that the issues raised about enrichment or nuclear materials are purely speculative and emphasised that at this stage we are not talking about anything other than stopping the war completelyHe further noted that the path forward remains undecided stating that the direction we will take in the future will be determined in the futureAl Jazeera highlighted that the diplomatic exchange facilitated by Islamabad comes as the region remains on high alert over the potential for further escalationThis development coincides with comments from US President Donald Trump who on Sunday local time said that his representatives are having very positive discussions Trump signalled continued diplomatic engagement even as both sides exchanged competing proposals on regional tensionsIn a post on Truth Social Trump noted his representatives were actively engaged with Tehran and suggested the talks could lead to something very positive for allHe stated I am fully aware that my representatives are having very positive discussions with the country of Iran and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for allThese sentiments were echoed by US special envoy Steve Witkoff who told CNN that Washington remains engaged with Tehran Were in conversation Witkoff said referring to ongoing diplomatic contacts aimed at exploring potential negotiations to end the conflictWitkoff was speaking from Trumps Doral golf club during the PGA Cadillac Championship where he was seen alongside the US PresidentTrumps latest tone marked a notable shift from comments he made a day earlier when he sharply criticised Irans proposal He previously said he cant imagine the latest proposal from Iran would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to humanityMeanwhile US President Donald Trump had rejected Irans latest proposal aimed at resolving the ongoing regional conflict saying the offer is not acceptable as reported by The Times of IsraelAccording to the Israeli news platform Trump made a similar statement during a brief phone call with Kan News correspondent Nathan Guttman In a post on X Guttman quoted Trump as saying Its not acceptable to me Ive studied it Ive studied everything its not acceptableIn additional comments reported by Kan News Trump said the regional military campaign was progressing successfully The campaign is going great Trump said adding The Iranians want to make a deal but Im not satisfied with what theyve offeredThere are things I cant agree to Trump said without elaborating on specific objections to Tehrans proposalIn a parallel interview with the Iranian state broadcaster SNN TV Baghaei confirmed that the United States view on Tehrans proposal via Pakistan has reached Iran He stressed that the 14point proposal is solely aimed at ending the conflict in the region and does not address the nuclear issueAccording to Irans semiofficial Tasnim News Agency Baghaei also rejected reports suggesting the proposal involved mineclearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz calling such claims fabricated and concocted by certain media outletsThe Iranian spokesperson reiterated Tehrans position stating that Iran rejects negotiations under ultimatum and deadline according to TasnimThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever