Iran says ‘ball is in the US court’ on deal to end war
Mediators continue pushing for a deal between Iran and the United States to end the eight-month war between the two countries, with Tehran saying that “the ball is in the US court.”
Amid fears the conflict could reignite after Tuesday’s midterm elections in the US, the mediators have stepped up their efforts to prevent renewed military conflict that has so far hit the global economy.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that the next move in the standoff with the United States is for US President Donald Trump to make.
“The ball is in the US court, because our demands have been stated very clearly and transparently, and Iran’s demands are reasonable and logical,” Baqaei told journalists in Tehran.
He said that “everything depends” on the US side accepting the Iranian demands.
“Only then can we discuss the subsequent stages.”
The Iranian spokesman said ongoing negotiations, which have been brokered by Qatar, Pakistan and other mediators, were centered around the a seven-day proposal that Iran originally presented to the US side in September, which calls for frozen Iranian assets to be released, the US naval blockade to be lifted and an end to fighting on all fronts, in exchange for the phased reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and further negotiations on other topics.
President Trump rejected the initial proposal, but both sides have since exchanged revisions, and Trump has said repeatedly in recent weeks that he just needs to make a decision on whether to launch new attacks on Iran, or to make a deal to end the war.
Baqaei also confirmed comments attributed to Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Saturday that the proposal could be shortened.
“The basis of dialogue and talks between Iran and the US via mediators is still Iran’s seven-steps proposal, which is now condensed, making it possible to implement it within two days,” he said.
Baqaei reiterated that condensing the plan would not change Iran’s underlying stance that a return to talks on the country’s nuclear program could only happen after it verified that all its conditions were met.
Highly enriched uranium
Asked whether the possibility of transferring Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile to another country was raised in the talks, and whether Iran might agree to that, he said no.
An official briefed on the talks said Iran’s negotiators had left on Sunday but not because of any problems in the talks, and added that a draft proposal was being circulated without elaborating.
The war, which the US and Israel launched suddenly on February 28, has led to Iran’s closure of the key Strait of Hormuz waterway, a US blockade on Iranian ports and repeated bouts of Iranian drone and missile fire US bases in Persian Gulf Arab states.