Awaiting an official response from Washington, "hopefully" expected by tomorrow, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday (local time) said that Tehran held further indirect talks with the United States through Qatari mediators in New York, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Speaking to reporters, Araghchi noted that articulating Iran’s stance on regional tensions and the critical security situation in the Strait of Hormuz was the focal point of his visit during last week’s United Nations General Assembly session.
According to Al Jazeera, the Iranian foreign minister reiterated that Tehran has put forward a fair and logical plan to resolve the crisis and reopen the vital shipping lane, provided specific conditions are met.
“Our mission was to communicate these conditions to the American side as well as to all other nations, ensuring the international community is aware that Iran has a plan in this regard,” Araghchi said.
Araghchi added that fresh inputs aimed at narrowing existing differences and facilitating the execution of Tehran's proposals were submitted by Qatari mediators during the latest meeting, with these ideas now being relayed back to Washington.
“Such communications and messages exchanged by Qatari and Pakistani intermediaries have always existed. But now, given the proposal Iran has put forward, the process has taken on a more serious nature,” he said, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Earlier in the day, United States President Donald Trump confirmed that American officials held discussions with mediators on Iran on Monday, as Al Jazeera reported.
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump confirmed the interaction but did not share any further details regarding the talks.
According to Iranian state media cited by Al Jazeera, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was also scheduled to meet with mediators in New York to discuss the latest proposals and developments in the situation between Tehran and Washington, days after US President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal linked to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as the conflict in West Asia continues.
The meeting comes after a Qatari delegation travelled to the United States last week and presented an Iranian proposal to American officials regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for economic relief.
Last week, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Araghchi outlined a seven-day proposal under which Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz if certain conditions were met by Washington.
Iran said the proposal was conveyed through intermediaries and linked the reopening of the waterway to measures including an easing of US military pressure.
However, on Sunday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Washington had rejected the proposal, claiming Tehran had sought sanctions relief and access to "billions in frozen assets" before negotiations on its nuclear programme.
Waltz said the US would ultimately need to reach "some type of agreement" with Iran, but that US President Donald Trump would keep all "options on the table".
Araghchi disputed Waltz's account of the proposal, saying the US ambassador had not seen the plan.
He also said Tehran remained ready for diplomacy while preparing for the possibility of renewed hostilities.
"We are fully prepared for the war to be resumed. We stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war. We don’t care about U.S. midterm elections. We care about our national interests. At the same time, we stand ready for diplomacy. It is up to President Trump to choose," Araghchi said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press".
The Strait of Hormuz has remained a central point of contention in the confrontation, with Iran saying it is prepared to reopen the waterway as part of an agreement, while the US has rejected Tehran's latest proposal.
Monday's meeting in New York was thus expected to focus on the latest proposals and positions being conveyed through mediators, with no direct US participation in the scheduled discussions.
Source: ANI
-Agencies
