Iran's Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf reveals Hormuz standoff, warns US minesweeper was close to being targeted

Tehran [Iran], April 19 : Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has disclosed details of behind-the-scenes negotiations with the United States, describing a tense standoff involving a US minesweeper during talks in Islamabad, Al Jazeera reported.

In a television interview, Ghalibaf said Iranian officials confronted the US delegation over naval activity in the Strait of Hormuz, reiterating that "the Strait of Hormuz is under the control of the Islamic Republic", as reported by Al Jazeera.

He said Tehran viewed US efforts to clear mines in the waterway as a "violation of the ceasefire", warning that tensions were close to escalating, according to Al Jazeera.

According to him, both sides were nearing renewed confrontation, "but the enemy retreated", Al Jazeera reported.

"In Islamabad, I told the American delegation that if their minesweeper moves even a little further from its position, we will definitely shoot it. They asked for 15 minutes to give the order to turn back, and they did," he said, as per Al Jazeera.

"The Americans have been declaring a blockade for several days now. This is a clumsy and ignorant decision," he added, Al Jazeera reported.

Meanwhile, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said Tehran is not prepared to engage in a new round of direct talks with US officials, citing Washington's refusal to abandon what he described as "maximalist" demands, particularly regarding Iran's nuclear programme, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera reported, citing The Associated Press, Khatibzadeh ruled out transferring enriched uranium to the US. "I can tell you that no enriched material is going to be shipped to [The] United States," he said.

"This is a non-starter, and I can assure you that while we are ready to address any concerns that we do have, we're not going to accept things that are non-starters," he added, as reported by Al Jazeera.

He added that despite multiple exchanges of messages between the two sides following recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, the US continues to insist on demands that Iran considers excessive, according to Al Jazeera.

Separately, Iran's state-run Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs said that US-Israeli attacks since the beginning of the conflict have killed at least 3,468 people, Al Jazeera reported.

The figure was reported by the ISNA news agency, citing foundation head Ahmad Mousavi, as per Al Jazeera.

Earlier, the head of the Iranian Legal Medicine Organisation had put the death toll at 3,375 as of April 12, according to Al Jazeera.

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