Iran rejected the US response regarding reopening the Hormuz Strait.
Tehran called Washington’s reply insufficient to meet its seven conditions.
Iran warned it remains ready for combat if diplomacy fails.
Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's security chief and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, informed that Iran has rejected the response of the US to its seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the state media of Iran, Rezaei said that the US has accepted some of Iran’s seven conditions, while others remain unclear. He termed Washington’s latest reply “insufficient” to open the Strait, Reuters reported.
Earlier, at the UN General Assembly, Iran put forward a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore normal shipping within seven days if its conditions are met. The US later sent its response back through Qatari mediators.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has suggested the conflict could end very soon, though he warned that Iran might escalate tensions before the November 3 midterm elections.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday, Trump said Iran seems to be backing down but might take further action before the vote to try to hurt him politically.
“They're (Iran) sort of calming down. They'll probably do a little bit extra before the election, thinking it's going to hurt us, but we could end it really quickly. They don't know how nice I've been to them," he said.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Tehran is ready for more military clashes if Washington abandons diplomacy. Speaking to foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Tehran on Sunday, Araghchi said Iran hopes the US chooses negotiations, but made clear that Iran will defend itself if fighting starts up again.
Seven Conditions of Iran
Iran has publicly announced 5 of its conditions to open the Strait of Hormuz. The conditions of Iran are: 1) An end to the war on all fronts. 2) The release of frozen Iranian funds; 3) The lifting of the US naval blockade on Iran; 4) An end to US interference in Iran’s internal affairs; 5)An end to all US attacks on Iranian territory. However, it has not yet disclosed the other two conditions, according to Indian Express.
Reuters reports that Qatar and other mediators are passing messages between Washington and Tehran to try to end the war and reopen the strait.
Before the conflict began, about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The war broke out in late February following US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
