TEHRAN: Iran said on Sunday that only talks can solve its conflict with the United States and Israel. This came after US President Donald Trump said he had rejected Iran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and stop the fighting.
“Our conditions are clear. The strait can reopen only if these conditions are met,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media. “Only a deal reached through talks can end this deadlock.”
The US has placed an economic blockade on Iran to pressure it to stop attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. These attacks have greatly reduced shipping through the area. Trump has repeatedly said the US controls the waterway.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump’s rejection, quoting unnamed US officials. The paper said Trump privately doubted Iran would meet his demands and had told staff he thought new US bombing could happen after the November midterm elections.
Earlier, a US official said talks with Iran through mediators were “positive and constructive.”
Iran says reopening the strait depends on its conditions
Araghchi said Iran’s main message at meetings during the 81st UN General Assembly was that reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on conditions set by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. He said Iran was still willing to negotiate while standing by its rights, according to the IRNA news agency.
Speaking to Iranian reporters in New York, Araghchi said Iran had taken part in many diplomatic meetings at the UN gathering. President Masoud Pezeshkian returned to Tehran after holding several meetings, giving interviews and making a major speech, the minister said.
Araghchi said he also met foreign officials and other foreign ministers. He said Iran had clearly explained its conditions for reopening the strait in meetings and passed them to mediators, who then shared them with the US.
Iran had also made several proposals for talks but had not received an official answer through the mediators, Araghchi said. He said Trump’s statements had been mixed and that Iran was waiting for a clear answer before deciding what to do next.
Araghchi said Iran had shown its strength in military, diplomatic and economic matters. He said a fair deal based on respect and Iran’s rights was the only way forward.
Iran warns US warships could be targeted
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy warned that US warships, including those in the Indian Ocean, could be attacked if the US starts a new war against Iran, Al Jazeera reported.
Oman urges Iran and US to reach a deal
Oman said on Saturday that it would keep working to protect ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz. It also urged Iran and the US to settle their disputes through a lasting political deal.
Speaking at the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said US and Israeli attacks on Iran earlier this year had threatened regional security and disrupted shipping and trade through the strait.He said the disruption had affected energy supplies, prices and trust in the international system.
Albusaidi said Oman would protect shipping through the strait under international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He urged all sides to work with Oman to keep the waterway open, while respecting the needs of countries that rely on it.He also urged Iran and the US to settle their disputes and reach political agreements that could bring a lasting end to the crisis.Albusaidi said Oman supported neighboring countries’ efforts to protect their security and independence.
Conflict has hurt oil shipments and the global economy
Iranian officials also spoke with Saudi Arabia about the Strait of Hormuz. The talks showed how much is at stake in the seven-month conflict, which has disrupted oil shipments through an important shipping route and hurt the global economy.
Araghchi told reporters at the UN on Friday that Iran’s proposed deal would start a seven-day countdown to reopen the strait and pause fighting in the region.
“If the US is serious about making a deal and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, everything is ready,” Araghchi said. If the US agreed, both sides could begin wider talks on issues they both accepted.
Those talks could include Iran’s nuclear program. Trump has said Iran must never get a nuclear bomb. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran would not change its position on its nuclear program, even if the US accepted the peace plan.
The official said Iran would not give up what it sees as its rights, including enriching uranium or sending its highly enriched uranium out of the country.
In an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was ready to discuss its nuclear program and other issues, but would not accept threats or pressure.
“Iran does not want war, but will defend itself against pressure, threats and attacks,” Pezeshkian said. He added that Iran had agreed not to develop nuclear weapons.
Earlier attempts at talks have not ended the war, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks.
Since then, fighting has paused and started again. Thousands of people have been killed, Iran’s regular military forces have been weakened, and its already struggling economy has suffered further damage.
Iran and its allies have spread the conflict across the region. Iran has attacked US allies in the Gulf with drones and missiles, while its Houthi allies in Yemen have targeted Saudi interests.
Iran announced its peace plan last week at the UN General Assembly in New York. It said the plan had been sent to the US through Qatari mediators. Trump said on Saturday that he had rejected it. He said Iran wanted a deal to reopen the strait because it was losing the conflict.
“They want to make a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
But Araghchi said the mediators had not officially told Iran that the US had rejected the plan.“We are waiting for the mediators to give us the final answer, and we will decide what to do based on it,” Araghchi posted.
Reported By: Our Correspondent I Tehran, Iran
