Iran’s foreign minister said a plan could reopen Hormuz in two days. Trump said talks are going fine.
Iran’s foreign minister said Saturday that a proposal discussed with Qatari mediators could allow the Strait of Hormuz to fully reopen within two days if the United States meets Tehran’s conditions, as President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran are going fine.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that Iran and Qatar had reached a plan to reopen the strait in two days if Washington cooperates. The Associated Press reported that the proposal was discussed with mediators while Iranian negotiators held talks with Qatari mediators in Doha aimed at ending the war with the United States. Araghchi said Tehran has no immediate plans to meet directly with American officials. He called a U.S. offer of dialogue a positive step. He also said Iran’s conditions are clear, that mediators are continuing to consult on them and that what is being circulated on the matter is merely media speculation. He did not say what the conditions are.
Trump said he is not in that much of a hurry for a deal, because the U.S. has knocked down Iran’s navy, air force and anti-aircraft defenses. He claimed the U.S. could strike Iran’s remaining nuclear sites in “ten minutes.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump has not made a decision on whether to resume strikes on Iran.
Iranian officials warned they can inflict devastating strikes on U.S. warships in the Middle East, and that any foreign ground invasion would face a killing ground. An Iranian official said the military’s resilience had brought the United States and its allies to the hard wall of reality over the conflict, Al Jazeera reported.
Iran effectively closed the strait when the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in late February, and attacks on shipping near it have grown this month. Iran presented a seven-day plan to reopen the strait in September after an interim ceasefire collapsed. U.S. officials have warned Gulf allies to prepare for possible renewed strikes on Iran after the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Information for this report was provided by Al Jazeera, Fox News and The Associated Press.