Iran and US hold indirect talks via Qatari mediators on Hormuz, Trump and Araghchi confirm

The meeting follows a visit by a Qatari delegation to the United States last week. 

The standoff between the United States and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz has entered a phase of backchannel maneuvers. Despite public rhetoric and Washington's initial dismissal of Tehran’s 7-day ceasefire plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump said that negotiations via third-party mediators took place on Monday.

According to a report by Al Jazeera, Iranian negotiators met with intermediaries in New York.

Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump confirmed the interaction but provided no further details about the talks.

Araghchi says Tehran awaits US response after Qatar-mediated talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also confirrmed indirect talks via mediators, he said Tehran held further indirect talks with the United States through Qatari mediators in New York and was awaiting an official response from Washington, which he hoped would come by Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, Araghchi said communicating Iran's position on regional tensions and the security situation around the Strait of Hormuz had been a key focus of his visit during last week's 81st United Nations General Assembly session.

He said Tehran had presented what it considered a fair and logical plan to resolve the crisis and reopen the vital shipping route, provided specific conditions were met.

"Our mission was to communicate these conditions to the American side as well as to all other nations, ensuring the international community is aware that Iran has a plan in this regard," Araghchi said.

He added that Qatari mediators had presented fresh inputs aimed at narrowing differences and facilitating implementation of Tehran's proposals. Those ideas were subsequently being conveyed to Washington.

"Such communications and messages exchanged by Qatari and Pakistani intermediaries have always existed. But now, given the proposal Iran has put forward, the process has taken on a more serious nature," he said, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The meeting took place days after Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained a major point of contention as the conflict in West Asia persists.

An ISNA report said Araghchi, accompanied by an Iranian delegation, was scheduled to meet mediators on Monday morning to discuss the “latest proposals and views on the current situation”.

No US representative was expected to attend the meeting, according to ISNA.

Iran’s Hormuz proposal

The meeting follows a visit by a Qatari delegation to the United States last week, when it presented American officials with an Iranian proposal concerning the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for economic relief.

On the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly last week, Araghchi outlined a seven-day proposal under which Iran would reopen the strategic waterway if certain conditions were met by Washington.

Iran said the proposal had been conveyed through intermediaries and linked the reopening of the strait to measures including an easing of US military pressure.

However, on Sunday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Washington had rejected the proposal. He claimed Tehran had sought sanctions relief and access to “billions in frozen assets” before negotiations on its nuclear programme.

Waltz said the US would ultimately need to reach “some type of agreement” with Iran, while adding that Trump would keep all “options on the table”.

Araghchi disputes US account

Araghchi disputed Waltz’s description of the proposal, saying the US ambassador had not seen the plan.

He said Tehran remained ready for diplomacy while also preparing for the possibility of renewed hostilities.

“We are fully prepared for the war to be resumed. We stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war. We don’t care about U.S. midterm elections. We care about our national interests. At the same time, we stand ready for diplomacy. It is up to President Trump to choose,” Araghchi said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press”.

At the White House, Trump also reiterated his assertion that the United States would win the ongoing war against Iran “very soon”. He added that gas prices would come tumbling down once the conflict ends, Al Jazeera reported.

The Strait of Hormuz has remained central to the confrontation, with Iran saying it is prepared to reopen the waterway as part of an agreement, while the US has rejected Tehran’s latest proposal.

Monday’s meeting in New York was therefore expected to focus on the latest proposals and positions being conveyed through mediators, with no direct US participation in the scheduled discussions.

(with ANI inputs)

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