Iran said diplomacy remains the only path to resolving its confrontation with the United States and Israel, after US President Donald Trump said he had rejected Tehran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt the fighting.
“Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on social media.
- Advertisement -
“Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock.”
Iran unveiled its peace proposal earlier this week at the UN General Assembly in New York, saying it had been passed to the United States through Qatari mediators.
“They want to make a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” Mr Trump told reporters at the White House.
US President Donald Trump said he rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
Mr Araqchi said that, despite Mr Trump’s public comments, mediators involved in US-Iran contacts had not formally conveyed an American rejection of the proposal.
“We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them,” Mr Araqchi said in a social media post.
The United States has imposed an economic blockade on Iran in an effort to pressure Tehran to stop attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping through the strategic waterway has fallen sharply, even as Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed that the US controls it.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that Mr Trump had turned down the Iranian offer, citing unnamed US officials.
The newspaper said Mr Trump privately doubted that Iran would accept his demands and had told aides he believed another bombing campaign was likely after the November US midterm elections.
Earlier, a US official described mediated discussions with Iran as “positive and constructive”.
Conflict disrupts oil flows
Iran has also opened discussions with its regional rival Saudi Arabia over the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting the significance of a seven-month conflict that has interrupted oil shipments through one of the world’s most important maritime routes and weighed on the global economy.
Speaking to reporters at the United Nations, Mr Araqchi said the proposed agreement would begin a seven-day countdown toward reopening the strait and pausing the fighting across the region.
“If there is seriousness on the US side to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared,” Mr Araqchi said.
Should Washington accept the proposal, the parties could move into broader negotiations “on mutually agreed subjects.”
Those talks could include Iran’s nuclear program.
Mr Trump has insisted that Tehran must never obtain a nuclear weapon. But a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran would not compromise on its nuclear program, even if the United States agreed to the peace proposal.
The official said Iran would make no concessions on its rights, including uranium enrichment or the removal of its highly enriched uranium from the country.
Abbas Araqchi told reporters at the United Nations the proposed deal would trigger a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that Tehran was prepared to discuss its nuclear program and other issues, but would reject “bullying or coercion”.
“Iran is not seeking war, but will defend itself against pressure, threats and attacks,” Mr Pezeshkian said. He added that Iran had already agreed that “we’re not supposed to develop nuclear weapons”.
Earlier diplomatic efforts have failed to bring the war to an end. The conflict began on 28 February with US and Israeli attacks.
Since then, alternating pauses and renewed strikes have killed thousands, weakened Iran’s conventional military capabilities and inflicted further damage on its already struggling economy.
Iran and its allies have responded by widening the conflict across the region.
Iran has launched drone and missile attacks against US allies in the Gulf, while its Houthi partners in Yemen have targeted Saudi interests.
Latest Middle East stories
