Mediation Efforts Intensify to Revive US-Iran Ceasefire Talks: Report

TEHRAN, Sept 28: Mediation efforts to revive ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran have intensified, but the two sides remain divided over concessions on Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran has said it is willing to negotiate while warning it will respond forcefully to any new military action, while Washington’s refusal to return to an earlier understanding remains a major obstacle.
The Wall Street Journal reported that mediators are pressing Iran to make concessions on its nuclear programme. The effort comes after President Donald Trump rejected a seven-day ceasefire proposal from Iran that called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the US blockade of Iranian ports. According to the report, mediators described the push as difficult with limited prospects, and Iran has given few signs of willingness to discuss the issue.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Tehran remains ready for talks but will respond to any new military action. Speaking to NBC News, he said Iran is fully prepared for the war to resume and will stand firm against any new aggression, but is also ready for diplomacy. “Now the choice is President Trump’s,” he said.
Arab mediators say Iran has made no concessions since Trump rejected the proposal, while Gulf officials say Tehran wants concessions from Washington before moving talks forward. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose country is relaying messages between Washington and Tehran, said resolving the conflict is getting harder by the day. Speaking on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum in New York, he called the dispute “extremely complex.”
Iran wants Washington to return to a memorandum of understanding reached in June, which envisaged reopening the Strait of Hormuz and eventually starting nuclear talks, in exchange for eased sanctions, the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets abroad and an end to the US blockade. US officials say Trump no longer wants to return to that deal, and Washington has tightened sanctions and maintained the blockade. A senior Middle Eastern official involved in the talks said Iran could compromise on its nuclear programme, but would need clear assurances that Israel would not strike again after any US-Iran agreement.