Progress towards peace talks and a resumption of oil tanker traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz has ground to a halt, with no sign that the warring parties are moving towards ending the conflict that the US and Israel launched on February 28.
"Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region, as Iran will be ready to make decisions and take action on difficult decisions," the Iranian official said, adding that the country's forces would conduct a "timely and precise" military attack to break the US naval blockade if diplomacy failed.
Monday marked the day by which Iran and the United States were expected to reach a final deal under a memorandum of understanding agreed in June and aimed at ending the war.
Signed on June 17, the MoU set out a 60-day time-frame, extendable by mutual consent, by which the US and Iran should reach an agreement that would cover broader issues such as the fate of Iran's nuclear program.
The MoU, which declared the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, quickly unravelled, however, due to a dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran said point five of the MoU gives it the right to manage the waterway, while the US rejected that interpretation.
Hostilities resumed as Iran began firing on vessels it said were trying to sail through the waterway on an unapproved route.
US President Donald Trump said on July 7 that the pact was "over".
Iran has repeatedly accused the US of consistently violating its commitments.
"Within the short period of a few weeks set by Iran, all the agreement's provisions must be implemented by the US. This is a precondition for further negotiations with the US," the Iranian official told Reuters, adding that mediators would share Iran's deadline with the US and regional states.
Both Iran and the United States have stepped up rhetoric over the past week.
Trump warned his own population in a speech at a rally on Friday to prepare for continued high fuel prices as a result of the war, while also saying that "after we finish defeating Iran ... pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States".
Earlier on Monday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: "The number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon," repeating one of his stated rationales for the war.
