Araghchi reiterates Strait of Hormuz will reopen a day after US accepts conditions
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz one day after the United States gives a positive response to its seven conditions.
According to spokesman for Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Hassan Qashqavi, the Iranian foreign minister made the remarks during a meeting with the committee members on Sunday.
“If the other side gives a positive response to Iran’s seven conditions based on the Islamabad negotiations, the Strait of Hormuz will certainly be reopened the following day,” Qashqavi quoted the foreign minister as saying.
During the meeting, Araghchi added that Tehran was awaiting a response from the other side, stressing that the next move would depend on how Washington responds to the existing diplomatic initiatives.
His remarks come as Iranian negotiators met Qatari mediators in Doha aimed at pushing for a deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, an official briefed on the discussions told Reuters.
The talks come amid concerns that the conflict could escalate again after the November 3 US midterm elections. President Donald Trump has said the United States will not launch new attacks on Iran before the vote and that talks with Tehran have been productive, though he has not ruled out further military action thereafter.
Iran has repeatedly said it would respond to any new attacks by striking US and Israeli targets in neighboring countries, as the eight-month-old war continues to disrupt global oil supplies and spill over across the Middle East.
US ‘prefers diplomacy’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that Trump has not decided whether to launch new strikes against Iran, but would prefer to resolve the conflict diplomatically.
Qatari mediators were in Tehran on Friday for discussions with Iranian officials before moving the talks to Doha on Saturday. The talks were being coordinated in regular contacts with Washington, an official said.
Araghchi in an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday said that Tehran had carefully reviewed a message sent by US Vice President JD Vance and discussed it at high-level meetings, describing Washington’s efforts to open a broader channel for dialogue as a “positive step”.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Vance had sent a letter to Iran’s security chief at the direction of President Donald Trump in a bid to revive negotiations and avert further US strikes.
Qatar’s Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper claimed that an American delegation was expected to join the diplomatic process in Doha.
However, the Iranian foreign minister said there is currently no plans for a meeting with US officials.
Tehran sees no need for a meeting with the American side under the current circumstances, he said, adding that Iran’s conditions were clear and mediators were continuing consultations over them.