Iran has offered Washington a seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end regional fighting, while Donald Trump and Xi Jinping discussed the Middle East war at their Friday summit. Saudi Arabia's allies moved to reinforce its defenses as Houthi attacks intensified.
Iran's foreign minister said Tehran has delivered Washington a concrete proposal through Qatari mediators: accept the plan and the strait reopens to normal maritime traffic within seven days. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told reporters at the United Nations that the clock starts the moment Washington agrees.
Iran's terms and a nuclear red line
According to Reuters: "The seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan", Araqchi said. Under the offer, Tehran would reopen Hormuz and halt hostilities on every front, including Lebanon, but Washington would first have to lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release Iran's frozen funds and waive oil sanctions.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters separately that Tehran will show no flexibility on its nuclear program even if Washington accepts the deal, ruling out concessions on enriching uranium or shipping out its highly enriched uranium stockpile. Trump has vowed Iran will never build a nuclear weapon. A US official said discussions through mediators remain positive and constructive, though Washington has yet to respond publicly to the offer.
Trump presses Xi on support for Tehran
At the same time, Trump and Xi turned to the war at their summit on the final day of Xi's three-day state visit. According to China's Xinhua news agency, Xi urged Washington and Iran to return to the June framework that produced a short-lived ceasefire, while Trump warned Xi against Chinese support for Iran.
Trump's ambassador to Beijing, David Perdue, said the president reiterated that direct or indirect backing for Tehran was totally unacceptable, and that China had assured US officials the day before that it was not providing such support. The warning followed reports that China had supplied Iran with shoulder-fired air-defense launchers and helped Tehran evade oil sanctions.
Saudi allies mobilize as Houthi attacks widen
The seven-month war began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes and has continued to spread beyond Iran's own borders. With Houthi missiles striking inside Saudi Arabia, Turkish and Pakistani defense officials met counterparts in Riyadh on Friday to review the security situation and discuss intelligence cooperation and military coordination. That meeting came a day after Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish foreign ministers met within the framework of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.
The UN's children's agency reported a rise in acute malnutrition among children in Yemen on Friday, citing the conflict's widening humanitarian toll.
Source: Investing.com
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