Tehran (TDI): Mediators are pressing Iran to consider concessions on its nuclear program in an effort to revive ceasefire negotiations with the United States, The Wall Street Journal reported, as Tehran and Washington remain at odds over the Strait of Hormuz and the terms of a possible diplomatic settlement.
The reported initiative follows US President Donald Trump’s rejection of an Iranian proposal for a seven-day ceasefire that would involve reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the US blockade of Iranian ports.
According to the Journal, Arab and Gulf mediators view the effort as a difficult attempt to secure movement from Tehran on its nuclear program. Iranian officials, however, have so far given little indication that they are prepared to make concessions on the issue.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran remained prepared for diplomacy but was also ready for renewed military confrontation. “We are fully prepared for the war to resume,” Araghchi told NBC News, while stressing that Iran remained open to negotiations.
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“We stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war. But at the same time we stand ready for diplomacy. It is up to President Trump to choose,” he said.
Arab mediators told the Journal that Iran had not offered new concessions since Trump rejected its ceasefire proposal, while Gulf officials said Tehran was seeking concessions from Washington before negotiations could advance.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, whose government has been relaying messages between Washington and Tehran, described the conflict as increasingly difficult to resolve.
Iran has reportedly sought a return to a memorandum of understanding reached in June, which included provisions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and eventually beginning negotiations on its nuclear program.
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The proposed framework also involved sanctions relief, the release of billions of dollars in Iranian funds held overseas and an end to the US blockade. US officials, however, have indicated that Trump no longer intends to return to the earlier understanding, while Washington has continued sanctions and maintained pressure on Tehran.
