Abbas Araghchi has criticised the United States for pursuing what he called a “reckless military adventure” whenever diplomatic efforts appear close to success.
In a post on X, Araghchi said Iran would “never bow to pressure”, following escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, where both Tehran and Washington accused each other of carrying out attacks. The comments came as US forces reportedly targeted more Iranian vessels.
The Iranian foreign minister questioned Washington’s motives, asking whether the latest actions were “a crude pressure tactic” or the result of “a spoiler once again duping POTUS into another quagmire”, referring to Donald Trump.
Despite the confrontation, Trump maintained that the ceasefire remained in effect. The agreement is intended to create space for negotiations aimed at ending the conflict that began after US and Israeli military operations in February.
Meanwhile, Marco Rubio said Iran is expected to respond to US proposals on Friday.
Speaking during a visit to Italy, Rubio said: “I hope it’s a serious offer, I really do.”
Iran has continued to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz and has launched attacks on US allies in the Gulf in retaliation for American and Israeli strikes. Nearly 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass through the strategic waterway, raising concerns in international energy markets and pushing prices higher.
Earlier this week, Trump authorised — before later suspending — a US military operation aimed at clearing the route for around 2,000 vessels stranded in the region since February.
The US is also maintaining a naval blockade of Iranian ports in order to exert pressure on Tehran to agree to the US terms – a move that has angered Tehran.
On Friday, US Central Command (Centcom) said US forces had disabled two Iranian-flagged unladen oil tankers attempting to pull into an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman “in violation of the ongoing US blockade”.
US forces had fired “precision munitions into their smokestacks, preventing the non-compliant ships from entering Iran,” the statement said.
Centcom said US forces were preventing more than 70 tankers from entering or leaving Iranian ports.
The new US attacks followed Thursday’s exchanges in the Strait of Hormuz, which both sides blamed on each other.
Centcom accused Iran of launching missiles, drones and small boats against three of its warships, in what it called an “unprovoked attack”.
Iran’s top military command, meanwhile, alleged the US had targeted an Iranian oil tanker and another vessel approaching the Strait of Hormuz and carried out “aerial attacks” on several coastal areas.
One of the cargo vessels attacked near the waters of Minab had caught fire, according to Mohammad Radmehr, an official in the southern Hormozgan province.
Mehdi Radmehr said ten wounded sailors had been moved to hospital, while rescue teams and local volunteers were continuing efforts to locate the remaining crew members. Speaking to Iran’s Mehr news agency, he said authorities were still trying to determine the fate of the other sailors.
At the same time, Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social that US forces had destroyed several Iranian small boats, missiles and drones during overnight operations. He said the attacks caused “great damage” to Iranian forces.
Trump also issued a fresh warning to Tehran, saying: “Just like we knocked them out again today, we’ll hit them much harder and more violently in the future if they don’t sign their deal quickly.”
The growing tensions have increased fears of long-term economic consequences for Gulf nations, while also casting uncertainty over hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough between the US and Iran.