Iran says it will not soften its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump said he rejected Tehran's latest proposal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran still awaits an official U.S. response through mediators Qatar and Pakistan, while tensions also flared elsewhere in the region over the weekend.
Iran will not soften its terms for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after Trump rejected Tehran's proposal. Araghchi added that Tehran had not yet received an official response through mediators Qatar and Pakistan, even though it was aware of Trump's public comments.
He said a negotiated solution remained the only way to resolve the impasse over the strategic waterway. Washington and Tehran had been discussing an arrangement under which Iran would reopen the strait in exchange for the U.S. lifting its blockade of Iranian ports, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. The proposed deal would have resembled a memorandum of understanding reached in mid-June that produced a ceasefire before fighting resumed.
Trump rejects Tehran's terms
Trump said Saturday that Iran had made a proposal but that he rejected it, arguing Tehran wanted an immediate reopening of the strait as its position weakened. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Trump expects to resume strikes against Iran after the U.S. midterm elections in early November and remains skeptical Tehran will meet his demands. Trump declined to answer when asked whether bombing would resume after the elections.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at the United Nations General Assembly last week that Tehran would not permit freedom of navigation through Hormuz as long as U.S. sanctions and the blockade remain in place. He also said Iran would not surrender what it considers its right to develop nuclear technology for economic purposes.
Tensions spread across the region
Tensions also escalated elsewhere in the region Saturday. Saudi-backed coalition forces in Yemen said air defenses intercepted two Houthi drones targeting Riyadh and a ballistic missile aimed at Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia. The attacks followed air-raid alerts in Riyadh about a week earlier, when missiles heading toward the Saudi capital were intercepted.
The latest statements leave Washington and Tehran at an impasse over Hormuz, with Iran maintaining its conditions even after Trump's public rejection of its proposal.
Source: Investing.com
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