Iran on Monday said it was ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if Washington agrees to conditions, as US President Donald Trump issued his latest war threat at a rally for midterm elections.
A senior Iranian official said the offer to open the vital energy corridor, which follows intense efforts by mediators to stop a return to war, showed “good faith.”
Tehran has blockaded Hormuz since the war started in February, sending energy prices soaring and posing an electoral challenge for Trump. The narrow gateway to the energy-rich Gulf normally carries one-fifth of global oil consumption.
“The possibility of implementing this plan in two days is another indication of Iran’s good-faith approach,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters at a briefing.
“We have stated that, if Iran’s demands are met, it would be possible to restore security to the Strait of Hormuz and resume the negotiating process within a short period.”
In September, Iran proposed a seven-day plan to reopen Hormuz if the US agreed to demands including ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian assets, lifting oil sanctions and ending its counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
Baqaei said messages were being exchanged with the United States via mediators, adding that “everything depends” on the US side accepting the Iranian demands.
“Only then can we discuss the subsequent stages.”
During final rallies for the US midterms on Tuesday, where diesel prices and consumer inflation are a key issue, Trump struck a belligerent tone, warning Iran to expect “the hammer.”
“The only reason why I’m not finished with Iran is I want to be nice. I want to try and save all those lives if I can… But at some point we’re going to have to give them the hammer,” he told voters in Iowa.
– ‘Prevent war entirely’ –
Officials from Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have held talks with Iran in recent days, while US Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Tehran.
Oman’s ruler Sultan Haitham bin Tariq discussed the war with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to Beijing on Monday, an Omani foreign ministry statement said.
“The two sides called for resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means, urging the United States and Iran to pursue a peaceful path, achieve a ceasefire (and) prevent war entirely,” it said, calling for “dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible.”
China’s top diplomat also told a senior Iranian official that Beijing supports Tehran in “safeguarding its own sovereignty and security.”
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks to Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, according to a statement from Beijing.
“All parties should… in a spirit of reason and pragmatism, focus on a political solution rather than once again resorting to armed conflict,” Wang was cited as saying.
Bagheri told Wang that “Tehran’s stance on defending its national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity remains unchanged, and that Iran will make no compromises in this regard,” according to state TV.
– ‘Powerful response’ –
In an interview with Al Jazeera released on Sunday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington must accept a new route agreed between Iran and Oman for transiting the strait.
He said the US must also remove sanctions imposed in recent months and reduce American troop numbers in the region.
Washington has since August rolled out a fresh raft of sanctions, part of what it called “economic asphyxiation” of Iran.
Trump’s “hammer” comment is just the latest threat to Tehran from the US and Israel, whose joint attack marked the start of the war on February 28.
On Saturday, Trump said he still had to “take care” of one or two targets, including Pickaxe mountain in central Iran, a suspected nuclear site which Tehran denies is such a facility.
“Any act of aggression against Iran, any military attack against Iran, by whatever means, will be met with a powerful, immediate and comprehensive response from us,” Baqaei said.
At the midterms, Democrats expect to win at least partial control of Congress and impose political constraints on Trump for the first time in two years.
Iran warned on Sunday that any renewed war with the United States could last longer than the previous round of fighting, after President Donald Trump said he still had to “take care” of more targets.
Diplomatic efforts to end the Middle East war have been punctuated by repeated threats from the US and Israel to resume bombardments as they hold crucial elections.
AFP
