Iran will not accept an end to war dictated by pressure or conditions from any aggressive party, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said at a Monday news conference. He said Tehran did not initiate the war and has adopted a defensive position to protect its territorial sovereignty and security. Iran will not allow the terms for ending the conflict to be determined by an aggressor, he added.

Baghaei said there was no room for compromise with aggressors. Addressing US officials’ claims that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, he described the statements as part of psychological and media-based propaganda by the opposing side, saying conditions on the ground do not match those claims.

He also called Iran’s maritime blockade a direct act of aggression, warning that Iran’s hands were not tied and that the consequences would not be good. Baghaei said other countries have no right under international law to cooperate with the United States in such actions. He added that Iran and Pakistan are interested in expanding bilateral cooperation, describing relations as currently at a very good level following Pakistani army chief Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran.