Tehran says it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within days if Washington lifts its blockade and returns to a ceasefire framework<\/p>\n
Iran has offered the US a new deal aimed at ending the months-long conflict before the November midterm elections, directly challenging President Donald Trump\u2019s claim that Tehran is deliberately waiting until after the vote to reach an agreement.
\nTrump claimed in his UN speech on Tuesday that Iran was deliberately stalling the talks to see how Republicans performed in the November 3 elections and predicted that Tehran would make a deal \u201cright after\u201d the vote. He also threatened to \u201cannihilate\u201d the Islamic Republic if negotiations failed.
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t want it to get to the midterm elections,\u201d Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday. \u201cWe wish Americans to return to the MOU before the midterms,\u201d he added, referring to a memorandum of understanding reached by Washington and Tehran in June.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe did reach an agreement with your president\u2026 The problem is that America, instead of conducting dialogue, descended into the arena by bombing us first, by blocking every pathway,\u201d Pezeshkian added in an interview with Fox News. \u201cWe will stand resolutely to defend ourselves. We never sought war\u2026 It\u2019s America that must choose whether it wants to end this or not.\u201d
\nIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has now submitted a proposal under which the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened within about a week and negotiations on Iran\u2019s nuclear program rapidly resumed. The proposal was transmitted to Washington through mediators during talks in New York this week.
\nUnder the plan, Tehran would restore navigation through the crucial oil shipping route in exchange for Washington lifting its economic blockade, easing restrictions on Iranian oil exports and releasing some frozen Iranian assets. Iran is also seeking an end to hostilities on other fronts, including Israel\u2019s combat operations in Lebanon.
\nUS and Iranian negotiators are discussing a phased arrangement in which the blockade and restrictions on Hormuz would be addressed first, Reuters reported, citing Iranian, regional and Western diplomatic sources.<\/p>\n
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Tehran has not abandoned its claim to regulate Hormuz, with Iranian officials continuing to insist that the waterway should be managed by Iran and Oman and that fees may be charged for services provided to passing vessels.
\nAraghchi said the proposal largely follows the terms of the June memorandum rather than introducing new demands. He said Iran was waiting for Washington\u2019s response.
\nAraghchi has also held a series of meetings with foreign counterparts in New York, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Moscow stressed that there was \u201cno alternative\u201d to a diplomatic settlement of the crisis provoked by the \u201cillegal actions\u201d of the US and Israel.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Iranian president responds to Trump\u2019s \u2018annihilation\u2019 threat (VIDEO)<\/p>\n
The renewed diplomatic push comes amid mounting pressure on both sides. The US blockade has sharply restricted Iran\u2019s oil exports, while Tehran\u2019s controls over Hormuz have disrupted one of the world\u2019s most important energy corridors and helped push oil prices above $100 a barrel and US diesel prices to historic highs.
\nPezeshkian, who became the first foreign head of state to speak at the UN while his country was at war with the US, told the chamber on Wednesday that Tehran remained prepared for \u201cdialogue and diplomacy\u201d but would not negotiate under threats of force and \u201cwill never bow our head or bend at the knee.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tehran says it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within days if Washington lifts its blockade and returns to a ceasefire framework Iran has offered the US a new deal…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38840,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t