By AZE.US
Iran has sent the United States concrete terms for renewing diplomacy, but the two countries remain far from an agreement after their first indirect contacts in several months, according to Iranian officials.
Messages were exchanged in New York through a Qatari mediator, and Tehran is reviewing Washington’s response, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.
Tehran’s Conditions
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran’s position was delivered to the United States during an exchange lasting about two hours.
Iran’s demands include an end to fighting on all fronts, a halt to U.S. military action, the lifting of the naval blockade and economic restrictions, and the release of frozen Iranian assets. Tehran also proposed agreeing on a safe route for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The senior Iranian official said substantial differences remained between the two countries, although diplomatic contacts were continuing.
Military Options Still Open
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reaching an agreement would require difficult and sustained work. He also said President Donald Trump still had military options available.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, addressing the United Nations General Assembly, said Iran would not surrender under pressure but remained prepared to pursue diplomacy. He again tied a settlement to ending the blockade and establishing rules for navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the war.
Tensions have also grown over new U.S. sanctions targeting countries that permit flights by Iranian airlines. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, threatened reciprocal measures against airports in neighboring countries if they joined the restrictions.
Oil prices rose nearly 2% on Wednesday amid the competing diplomatic and military signals. No agreement has been signed, and no date has been announced for another round of contacts.
Based on Vesti Baku’s Russian-language report and Reuters reporting.