Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said on Sunday that the United States' response to Tehran's seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz was "inadequate" or "insufficient," according to Iranian state media. Rezaei also threatened to target "cables, data centers, AI facilities and other sites in the region" if intense fighting resumes. His remarks were reported by outlets including Reuters, Fortune, Breitbart and Press TV; the specific location where he spoke was not given in the sources.
Rezaei said Washington had accepted some of Iran's conditions while others remained unclear, and that the U.S. must clarify those points. "We are not in the process of responding to the Americans. They have responded to us, and we consider their response inadequate," he said, according to Breitbart. He did not say which conditions the U.S. had accepted. The Trump administration has not publicly confirmed accepting any, and the White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. One report said Rezaei also posted on X that there would be "no return to the status quo ante."
Breitbart reported that Rezaei put the value of U.S.-linked technology infrastructure in the region at more than $2 trillion. The outlet said the threat goes beyond earlier Iranian demands to impose fees on undersea cables passing through the strait.
Iran presented the seven conditions during the UN General Assembly last month. Under the proposal, the strait would reopen and normal shipping would resume within seven days if they were met. Reported conditions include lifting the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, ending restrictions on Iranian oil sales and, according to one outlet, unfreezing Iranian assets. The U.S. replied through Qatari intermediaries. Trump said he rejected the proposal, but both sides have stayed in contact through mediators.
Trump said last week the U.S. would not carry out new strikes on Iran before the November 3 midterm elections. He described recent exchanges as "productive discussions." The New York Times reported that Pentagon planners have prepared options for a roughly three-day campaign against missile, drone and energy targets. The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, earlier reported that Trump expected bombing to resume after the election. Mike Waltz called Iran's earlier proposal a "garbage deal," and Vice President JD Vance said Iran must meaningfully reduce uranium enrichment. Iran's atomic energy chief, Mohammad Eslami, said Iran would not give up enrichment "under no circumstances."
The dispute comes amid wider regional violence. Fortune reported that the Revolutionary Guard navy warned ships in the strait that turning off identification systems would mark them as hostile, and that attacks on ships have increased since the proposal was rejected. Houthi forces claimed attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which Saudi authorities and sources said killed 12 or 13 people (sources differ), and on Dammam's airport. Brent crude was reported near $100 to $105 a barrel. The war began at the end of February with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
