U.S. President Donald Trump told the news website Axios today that he expects American negotiators to hold new talks with Iran this week.
Iran had insisted earlier that only diplomacy can lead to a resolution of the crisis, after Trump rejected the Iranian proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz and end the hostilities.
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“Our conditions are clear, and any step forward toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on these conditions being met. We will not back down from them. Only a solution reached through negotiation will get us out of this impasse,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an online post.
Iran announced last week at the UN General Assembly that it had conveyed a peace proposal to Washington through Qatari negotiators. However, President Trump rejected it on Saturday, arguing that the Iranians are now seeking a deal because they are “losing.”
Iranian Proposal Called “Cynical”
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, in an interview today with the American television network NBC, described Tehran’s proposal as “cynical.” The Iranian leadership knew that the content of the proposal was “unacceptable” to Washington, he said, referring to “the lifting of the embargo and international sanctions and access to billions [of dollars] in funds.”
According to Walsh, Trump’s rejection of the proposal was a “logical” development, since the U.S. president had been trying to negotiate with Iran for many months. To reach an agreement, Iranian leaders “can come to the negotiating table and comply with international law and their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,” he explained.
“President Trump is open” to an agreement, particularly regarding enriched uranium, the U.S. diplomat emphasized.
Araguchi, who also spoke to NBC, rejected Walsh’s “old, baseless accusations.”
““We are ready to open the Strait if the U.S. takes certain steps—and these steps are not new; they did not come out of nowhere,” said the head of Iranian diplomacy. Tehran wants an end to the war, but at the same time it also wants the unfreezing of Iranian funds and the ability to sell its hydrocarbons to other countries.
“We want certain things to which the U.S. has already committed in previous agreements” between the two countries, he insisted. However, he appeared pessimistic about reaching an agreement. “If you ask us, there’s no reason to go back to diplomacy. But I’m still trying through diplomatic channels because I think we shouldn’t miss any opportunity for peace. We’re not interested in the U.S. midterm elections. We’re interested in our national interest,” he said.
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Source: APE-MPE
