ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iran’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that Tehran’s response to the US proposal will be presented “through mediators,” while insisting on its previously announced conditions for ending the war, as reports emerge of possible renewed attacks on Iran.

The developments come as Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Sunday that Tehran is not backing down from its conditions for opening the Strait of Hormuz, denouncing recent alleged US proposals as “unilateral demands,” amid a continued stalemate in negotiations.

Ghalibaf’s Sunday comments came after a senior official from Iran’s foreign ministry, Kazem Gharibabadi, said they were reviewing Washington’s assessments of Tehran’s seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which was initially rejected by US President Donald Trump.

“Iran's response to US proposals will be presented through mediators,” foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Thursday, as cited by state media. 

“Considerations and conditions for ending the imposed war on all fronts and restoring security to the Persian Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz have been clearly and firmly explained,” Baghaei added.

Iran closed the Strait after US-Israeli strikes killed the top brass of Iran’s leadership, catapulting the region into a conflict that persists today. In response to Iranian restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, the US imposed a blockade of Iranian ports and levied additional sanctions in a bid to prevent Iran's oil export pathways.

Tehran and Washington have each insisted that they control oil exports through the vital waterway, seeking to deny the other access.

On Thursday, Axios cited a US official as saying Washington has instructed the US military to prepare for a possible scenario of renewed conflict with Iran.

“The attack may happen before the elections in Israel and the US,” the senior US official said, noting that the directive did not specify a date for launching the attack, as Trump has not yet made a final decision on whether to launch it.

Trump on Tuesday said that he will finish up "the conflict with Iran, professing that he may either do so "the nice way or the not-so-nice way" and adding, "You'll find out soon."

Iran’s main conditions in the MoU included ending military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, lifting sanctions, and post-war reconstruction. One of Washington’s main conditions was free navigation through the waterway.

In September, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week if Washington accepted Tehran’s terms outlined in the June US-Iran memorandum. The plan was subsequently rejected by Trump, who said the US already has ‘total control’ over the vital waterway.