Washington DC [US], September 29 (ANI): US President Donald Trump is willing to give Iran sanctions relief and release frozen funds as part of a final deal, but only if Tehran offers “concrete progress” on the nuclear issue, a US official told CNN on Monday (local time), as mediators sought to bring both countries back to the negotiating table.
The United States is having “positive and constructive discussions through the mediators,” the official said, while noting that there would be no deal unless nuclear issues were addressed. Trump on Saturday (local time) rejected Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, calling it “unacceptable.”
On Sunday (local time), Trump told Axios that he expected more talks with Iran to take place this week. The US official said Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were leading the talks on the US side.
Trump, however, disputed the suggestion that he had “offered” Iran any concession, saying on Truth Social on Monday that he “offered them nothing!”
“They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make,” Trump said on Sunday. “It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago. They overplayed their hand.”
According to the official, Iran has indicated that it is flexible on nuclear issues, but the two sides have not reached an agreement on the timing of the commitments.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday (local time), that Tehran had held further indirect talks with the United States through Qatari mediators in New York, as reported by Al Jazeera. He said Iran was awaiting an official response from Washington, “hopefully” expected by Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, Araghchi said articulating Iran’s stance on regional tensions and the critical security situation in the Strait of Hormuz was the focal point of his visit during last week’s United Nations General Assembly session.
According to Al Jazeera, the Iranian foreign minister reiterated that Tehran had put forward a fair and logical plan to resolve the crisis and reopen the vital shipping lane, provided specific conditions were met.
“Our mission was to communicate these conditions to the American side as well as to all other nations, ensuring the international community is aware that Iran has a plan in this regard,” Araghchi said.
Araghchi added that fresh inputs aimed at narrowing existing differences and facilitating the execution of Tehran’s proposals were submitted by Qatari mediators during the latest meeting, with the ideas now being relayed back to Washington.
“Such communications and messages exchanged by Qatari and Pakistani intermediaries have always existed. But now, given the proposal Iran has put forward, the process has taken on a more serious nature,” he said, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Earlier on Monday (local time), Trump confirmed that American officials had held discussions with mediators on Iran, Al Jazeera reported. Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump confirmed the interaction but did not share further details regarding the talks.
According to Iranian state media cited by Al Jazeera, Araghchi was also scheduled to meet with mediators in New York to discuss the latest proposals and developments in the situation between Tehran and Washington.
The meeting came after a Qatari delegation travelled to the United States last week and presented an Iranian proposal to American officials regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for economic relief.
Last week, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Araghchi outlined a seven-day proposal under which Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz if certain conditions were met by Washington.
Iran said the proposal was conveyed through intermediaries and linked the reopening of the waterway to measures including an easing of US military pressure.
However, on Sunday (local time), US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Washington had rejected the proposal, claiming Tehran had sought sanctions relief and access to “billions in frozen assets” before negotiations on its nuclear programme.
Waltz said the US would ultimately need to reach “some type of agreement” with Iran, but that Trump would keep all “options on the table”.
The US official reiterated Waltz’s assertion that the United States was sceptical of Iran’s promises, given the country violated the US-Iran memorandum of understanding reached in July by firing on commercial vessels.
Araghchi disputed Waltz’s account of the proposal, saying the US ambassador had not seen the plan.
He also said Tehran remained ready for diplomacy while preparing for the possibility of renewed hostilities.
The Strait of Hormuz has remained a central point of contention in the confrontation, with Iran saying it was prepared to reopen the waterway as part of an agreement, while the US rejected Tehran’s latest proposal.
Monday’s meeting in New York was thus expected to focus on the latest proposals and positions being conveyed through mediators, with no direct US participation in the scheduled discussions. (ANI)
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