The key facts

  • Iran is conducting intensive contacts through Qatari and Pakistani intermediaries, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.
  • Tehran, according to him, has presented a settlement plan and conditions; the next step is up to Washington.
  • The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the full resumption of negotiations are conditional on the unconditional acceptance of Iran's 'legitimate conditions.'

Contacts through intermediaries

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Tehran is conducting intensive diplomatic contacts through intermediaries from Qatar and Pakistan, including dozens of phone calls and, in his words, 'intensive shuttle diplomacy.' He made the statement to the IRNA agency following a visit to Turkmenistan, reports Anadolu.

Tehran's conditions and an appeal to Washington

According to Araghchi, Iran has announced its specific conditions and presented a formulated settlement plan, and what happens next depends on Washington. 'Now everything depends on how much political rationality prevails on the American side and whether there is a willingness to take the sensible path of diplomacy or, as in previous cases, to drag the situation into aggression and military operations,' IRNA quoted his statement as saying. The minister added that Iran is ready for both diplomatic and military scenarios 'like never before' and warned that any new military action or deception would receive a response 'far harsher and more regrettable than before.' Tehran, he stressed, will not submit to coercion.

The Strait of Hormuz and other topics of the visit

Araghchi linked the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the full resumption of negotiations to the unconditional acceptance of Iran's 'legitimate conditions.' Anadolu reports on the tension between Tehran and Washington against the backdrop of the US naval blockade and the security of the strait — a key route for global energy supplies. Touching on his visit to Turkmenistan, the minister described strengthening relations with neighbors as an 'unchanging priority' of Iran's foreign policy and said the trip was devoted to bilateral projects in energy, transit and the economy — building on the agreements reached by the presidents of the two countries on the sidelines of the CIS summit in Avaza. He characterized the visit of Ali Bagheri Kani, Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, to Beijing as part of ongoing strategic and security consultations with key partners on regional peace and stability.