TEHRAN: Iran on Sunday reiterated that diplomacy was the only way to resolve its conflict with the United States and Israel after US President Donald Trump said Washington had rejected Tehran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the fighting.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran’s conditions for reopening the strategic waterway remained unchanged and that a negotiated settlement was necessary to break the current deadlock.
“Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met,” Araghchi said in a social media post.
“Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock,” he added.
Iran announced its peace proposal earlier this week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, saying the plan had been conveyed to the United States through Qatari mediators.
Trump, however, said on Saturday that he had rejected the proposal, arguing that Tehran was seeking an agreement because of the pressure it was facing.
“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.
Araghchi said mediators involved in the US-Iran talks had not officially communicated an American rejection of the Iranian proposal.
“We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them,” he said.
The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported that Trump rejected the Iranian proposal, citing unnamed US officials. The report said Trump remained sceptical that Tehran would meet his demands and had told aides he believed a renewed bombing campaign could follow after the November US midterm elections.
A US official had previously described discussions with Iran through mediators as “positive and constructive”.
Under Iran’s proposal, a seven-day countdown would begin once Washington agreed to the terms, leading to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a pause in regional fighting.
Speaking to reporters at the UN on Friday, Araghchi said Iran was prepared to reopen the waterway if the United States demonstrated seriousness about reaching an agreement.
“If there is seriousness on the US side to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared,” he said.
He added that broader negotiations could then begin on issues agreed by both sides, potentially including Iran’s nuclear programme.
Trump has repeatedly said Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons, while a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran would not compromise on its nuclear programme even if Washington accepted the proposed peace deal.
The official said Iran would not give up what it considers its rights, including uranium enrichment or the shipment of highly enriched uranium out of the country.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking to CBS’s “Face the Nation”, said Tehran was ready to negotiate over its nuclear programme and other issues but would not accept what he described as bullying or coercion.
“Iran is not seeking war, but will defend itself against pressure, threats and attacks,” Pezeshkian said, adding that Tehran had already agreed that it would not develop nuclear weapons.
The conflict began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks and has since alternated between periods of reduced fighting and renewed strikes.
The prolonged conflict has killed thousands of people, weakened Iran’s conventional military capabilities and further damaged its economy.
Iran and its allies have also expanded the conflict across the region, with Iranian drones and missiles targeting US allies in the Gulf and Houthi forces in Yemen carrying out attacks against Saudi interests.
The fighting and restrictions around the Strait of Hormuz have severely disrupted oil shipments through one of the world’s most important energy routes, increasing pressure on global energy markets and the wider economy.