Iran to reply to US response after review

Iran is still reviewing a US response to its proposal regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and will reply to Washington via intermediaries when the review is over, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said yesterday.

Baghaei also told a press conference that Iran continues to exchange messages via intermediaries, without elaborating. Qatar and Pakistan, among others, have acted as mediators in efforts to end the war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, reports Reuters.

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After a June interim ceasefire crumbled and on-off strikes resumed, Iran presented its proposal in mid-September and later confirmed receipt of a US response. But the process has since stalled, with Iran’s security chief saying on Sunday that Washington’s response did not sufficiently address Tehran’s seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and returning to negotiations.

A central point of disagreement has been Washington’s insistence on addressing Iran’s nuclear programme from the outset. Tehran says negotiations should initially focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war carried about a fifth of the global trade in oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), and restoring security in the waterway.

Meanwhile, two Indian sailors were missing after a commercial vessel was hit by a “drone attack” Sunday off the coast of Oman, New Delhi’s shipping minister said.