Iran Studies US Response to 'Reopening of Hormuz'

Tehran (Agencies): Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghaei said yesterday that his country is still studying the U.S. response to its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and will reply to Washington through intermediaries once that review is complete. Baghaei added at a press conference that Tehran continues to exchange messages via intermediaries, without going into further details. Qatar and Pakistan, among other parties, have played a mediation role in efforts to end the war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Following the collapse of a temporary ceasefire reached in June and the resumption of intermittent strikes, Iran put forward its proposal in mid-September and later confirmed receiving a U.S. response. However, the process has stalled since then. On Sunday, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the U.S. response did not adequately address the seven conditions Tehran set for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and returning to negotiations. One of the main points of contention has been Washington’s insistence from the outset on discussing Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran maintains that negotiations should initially focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restoring security in the waterway, through which about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade passed before the war. Regarding the escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Houthi movement, an ally of Iran, Baghaei reiterated Tehran’s openness to helping resolve the crisis through dialogue. He said, “The Yemen issue should have been resolved long ago through the (United Nations) roadmap, and we said we would support any agreement reached by the Yemenis and Saudis... Our demand is to settle this situation through dialogue.”