TEHRAN, MAY 6: Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Wednesday that Washington was seeking Tehran’s surrender through various means, including a naval blockade.

“The enemy, in its new design, is seeking, through a naval blockade, economic pressure and media manipulation, to destroy the country’s cohesion in order to force us to surrender,” Ghalibaf said in a voice message published on his official Telegram channel.

The influential speaker of the Iranian parliament did not elaborate on the prospects for a peace plan with the United States, as Tehran continues to review elements of a US proposal.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Wednesday that Tehran would convey its position to key mediator Pakistan after “finalizing its views.”

Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump had said he wanted the war to be “at an end,” while vowing more intense attacks on Iran if it did not agree to conditions set by Washington.