Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei responds to Donald Trump’s chess analogy as Tehran maintains conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
TEHRAN, Iran – Web Desk: Iran on Monday described its people as “professional chess players” in response to US President Donald Trump’s comparison of his dealings with Tehran to a game of chess, as tensions remained high over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei made the remarks during his weekly press conference, responding to comments in which Trump said he was effectively watching Iran’s economic situation while keeping negotiations at a limited level.
“Lights out or lights on, Iranians showed they are professional chess players,” Baghaei said, according to AFP.
Trump had earlier described his approach to Iran as a “chess game”, saying Washington was closely watching the country’s inflation and economic difficulties.
The comments came after Tehran issued a set of conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global shipping route that has remained largely closed since the start of the Middle East war in late February.
Iran sets conditions for reopening Hormuz
Iranian official Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr outlined Tehran’s demands over the weekend, including an end to what Iran describes as the war and aggression against the country and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.
Tehran has also demanded the lifting of a US counterblockade of Iranian ports, an end to sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets and compensation for wartime damage, according to the Tasnim news agency.
Baghaei reiterated that Iran does not consider conditions suitable for restoring safe passage through the strategic waterway while the US naval blockade remains in place.
“As long as the US naval blockade continues” and other US violations continue, the necessary conditions for declaring the Strait of Hormuz a safe waterway will not exist, he said.
Trump signals preference for economic pressure
Trump’s latest remarks suggested that Washington was prepared to allow economic pressure on Iran to intensify rather than immediately pursue additional military action.
The US president said he was “low-keying it” with Iran and indicated that he believed economic pressure could influence Tehran.
The exchange comes amid continued uncertainty over the possibility of negotiations between Washington and Tehran and the future of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The waterway is a critical route for global energy supplies, making any prolonged disruption a major concern for international markets and regional economies.
Iran’s latest comments indicate that Tehran continues to link the restoration of normal maritime traffic to broader political and security demands, while Washington appears focused on maintaining economic pressure.
