Iran threatens to strike 'infrastructure' in the region

Washington – Agencies: Iran announced yesterday that it is awaiting a response from the United States to its new proposal regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while simultaneously threatening to attack infrastructure in the region if it is not allowed to export its oil. This comes as the war in the Middle East enters its eighth month, with US President Donald Trump denying that he had offered to ease the economic blockade.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he expects to receive an official US response, according to reports from state media. He clarified that Qatari mediators, whom he met in New York, “presented ideas and we discussed them. They are scheduled to raise the issue again with the US side, after which the final US response will be conveyed to us.” Araghchi added that “the current focus is exclusively on the Strait of Hormuz, and reopening the strait is contingent upon achieving certain conditions that we have communicated to the other side.”

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he rejected a proposal put forward by Tehran to reopen the strait, before later adding that he expects talks to resume. He clarified in press remarks that the Iranians “want to strike a deal, but it is not the deal I want to strike.”

Reports indicated that the Iranian proposal includes stabilizing a ceasefire on all fronts, releasing billions of dollars in frozen assets, and lifting the US blockade, in exchange for Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz within seven days of the agreement.

Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf threatened yesterday to target infrastructure in the Middle East if the “security” of the Islamic Republic is not ensured, as he put it. Qalibaf, who led his country’s negotiating delegation with Washington after the war, said, “Let America and other countries realize that in the region where we do not sell our oil, no one will sell oil. If our security is not ensured, no infrastructure will be safe.”

This statement followed Trump’s denial that he had offered Iran lifting the naval blockade on its ports and releasing frozen Iranian assets abroad in exchange for Tehran making tangible concessions on the nuclear file.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that oil exports from the Middle East had approached 13 million barrels per day, while Iran’s ability to export oil via the Strait of Hormuz has declined since the reimposition of US sanctions last July. Meanwhile, data from Kpler showed on Monday that crude oil exports from major oil-producing countries in the Middle East rebounded in September to reach 16.328 million barrels per day, the highest level since the war broke out in February.

In a related development, the Fars News Agency quoted Ali Nikzad, deputy speaker of the Iranian Parliament, as saying that the parliament is studying a bill to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In response, Russia emphasized the importance of Iran remaining within the NPT and not withdrawing from it. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed yesterday that Russia does not want Iran to withdraw from the NPT and relies on its continued participation. He also noted that statements by some Iranian officials regarding the possibility of withdrawing from the treaty, which obligates Tehran not to develop or possess nuclear weapons, require clarification.