Iran has confirmed that negotiations with the United States to end their eight-month war are continuing, but a breakthrough remains elusive despite intensive diplomatic efforts involving Qatari mediators.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran had submitted its conditions and proposals, leaving the next move to Washington.
“Consultations through mediators are very intensive. We have presented our conditions and proposals, and everything depends on the political rationality of Washington,” he was quoted as saying by state media outlet IRNA on Monday.
The latest diplomatic efforts come amid fears that fighting could resume after Tuesday’s US midterm elections. China and Russia have both warned against renewed military action, citing the wider economic consequences of the conflict.
Despite falling oil prices, which dropped nearly 4% on Monday amid hopes of a diplomatic solution, Iranian sources reportedly believe another US attack remains more likely than a peace agreement.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran’s seven-step proposal, first submitted in September, remained the basis of discussions, although the plan had been shortened to speed up its implementation.
“The basis of dialogue and talks between Iran and the US via mediators is still Iran’s seven-step proposal, which is now condensed, making it possible to implement it within two days,” he said.
US President Donald Trump rejected the original seven-step proposal in September.
The plan calls for Washington to lift its blockade on Iranian ports, Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the United States to waive restrictions on Iranian oil sales and cancel new sanctions against Tehran, followed by negotiations on other outstanding issues.
Baghaei stressed that shortening the proposal would not change Iran’s fundamental position on its nuclear programme. He said negotiations on the issue could only resume after Tehran verified that all its conditions had been fulfilled.
He also denied that the possible transfer of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile to another country had been discussed or that Tehran would agree to such an arrangement.
An official briefed on the negotiations said Iranian representatives had left on Sunday, but stressed that their departure was not due to any problems during the discussions. The official added that a draft proposal was being circulated.
Qatari mediators subsequently travelled to Tehran on Monday night to discuss a version of the proposed US-Iran agreement that had been under negotiation for eight days.
Meanwhile, Trump said on Monday that Iran wanted to reach an agreement to end the war, adding that a deal “could happen”, although he provided no further details.
The conflict began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. Since then, Tehran has closed the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, while Washington has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
The war has also seen repeated Iranian drone and missile attacks on Gulf states, alongside renewed fighting in Yemen.
Trump has repeatedly said there would be no fresh US attack on Iran before Tuesday’s midterm elections. Tehran, however, has warned that it would respond forcefully to any renewed offensive, targeting locations both inside and outside the Middle East.
China has also stepped up diplomatic efforts to prevent the conflict from escalating.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged all parties to pursue political solutions rather than return to military action during a meeting with senior Iranian security official Ali Bagheri Kani in Beijing on Monday.
China, a major buyer of energy products from the Gulf, is hosting several regional leaders this week, including Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said.
Wang also met Saudi Arabia’s national security adviser Musaed bin Mohammed al-Aiban, with China’s Foreign Ministry saying regional parties should work together to protect energy supplies and shipping routes.
In Moscow, Russia’s Foreign Ministry described reports of possible renewed military action against Iran as a matter of extreme concern and called for stronger diplomatic efforts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also spoke by phone with Iran’s top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, on Monday, according to Iranian state media.
Adding to concerns over global energy supplies, a Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker was struck by unidentified objects in the Gulf on Friday, its operator Nakilat said on Sunday.
Although attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf and Red Sea have been frequent during the conflict, incidents involving LNG carriers have been rare. The last reported attack involving a Qatari tanker occurred in early July.
