Iran awaiting formal US response to its proposal, Araghchi says
Iran was awaiting a formal US response to its proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz after further talks with Qatari mediators in New York, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.
He said a Qatari mediator met with Iranian officials earlier to discuss ideas for meeting Tehran’s conditions. Qatar would relay those ideas to Washington and then convey the US response to Iran, he said, adding that Doha hoped to receive an answer by Wednesday.
“We are awaiting an official response from the United States through the mediators,” Araghchi said.
The minister also rejected reports suggesting Iran had softened its position, saying Tehran had made no concessions and asking the public not to heed what he called deliberate speculation in some media.
He said Tehran’s position had not changed and that reopening the Strait of Hormuz depended on its conditions being met.
“At present, the only issue is the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “Iran’s conditions are entirely fair and reasonable. If the Americans say they want an agreement or a peaceful solution, we have presented that solution.”
Araghchi said he was leaving New York for Tehran, where officials would decide how to proceed once they received Washington’s response. He said Qatar and Pakistan had previously relayed messages between the two sides, but contacts had taken on a more serious tone after Iran submitted its plan.