US President Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian proposal for a seven-day ceasefire, as Tehran presented a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations, according to US officials cited by The Wall Street Journal.
Trump told his aides that he expected bombing of Iran to resume after the November midterm elections. In closed-door meetings, he also expressed doubts that Tehran would meet his demands and indicated that a new bombing campaign could be launched.
However, the officials said Trump’s current positions could change as the conflict continues in the coming weeks and could be affected by the results of the midterm elections.
Trump is also hesitant to resume major military operations against Iran, partly because Washington wants to preserve its dwindling ammunition stockpiles for other potential contingencies, according to the newspaper.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi revealed on Friday that Tehran had submitted a plan to the United States through Qatar to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic within seven days, provided Washington meets Iran’s conditions.
Speaking from the United Nations headquarters in New York, Araghchi said the strait would be reopened on the sixth day of the proposed period, with negotiations beginning the following day on agreed issues aimed at reaching a final agreement. The United States would be required to take measures that Tehran considers implementable within four or five days.
“I tell you that if the American side is serious about reaching a deal and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, everything is ready,” Araghchi said.
According to media reports, the plan includes a seven-day halt to all hostilities in the Middle East, including in Lebanon, the release of around $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil, and an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports.
On the seventh day of the truce, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Araghchi said that “the choice now rests with the United States,” stressing that Iran would not accept repression, threats or intimidation and would not give up its sovereign rights under pressure.
He said a country cannot be bombed, threatened with annihilation, subjected to a naval blockade and coercive measures, and then be expected to restore security and maritime traffic automatically.
Araghchi stressed that the UN Charter is not optional, sovereignty is not conditional, diplomacy is not surrender, and peace cannot be built through threats of annihilation.
He noted that maritime traffic had recovered to around 60% of its pre-war level within two weeks of the implementation of a memorandum of understanding. However, he said subsequent unilateral US measures and Washington’s military actions violated and disrupted implementation of the memorandum.
On Tuesday, Araghchi met with US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, after setting conditions for ending the war and reopening the vital waterway.
In a related development, Iranian Revolutionary Guard spokesman Hossein Mohebi said Friday that Tehran would not stop “punishing the United States until our seven conditions are met.” He added that Iranian missiles are capable of destroying US multi-layered defenses, according to Iranian state television.
Mohebi said Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz and claimed that the United States says the waterway is open to avoid higher oil prices. He added that Washington had been unable to keep the strait open for even a few hours despite having the world’s largest naval force.
Source:AFP
