Washington: US President Donald Trump has
reportedly ruled out an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within
a week, according to unnamed US officials cited by The Wall Street Journal. The
rejection comes hours after Iran put forward a new roadmap to opening the
strait and days after Trump threatened to "annihilate" Iran from the
floor of the UN General Assembly.
Iran's proposal lays out a roadmap to open
the Strait of Hormuz with normal maritime passage within a week. Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi said the plan calls for the US to take actions it
committed to under the failed June 17 Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding on
an accelerated timeframe, including releasing $12 billion in frozen Iranian
assets, lifting oil sanctions, and ending the US naval blockade. He said once
US conditions are met - estimated at four or five days - the strait could be
reopened and negotiations on a "final deal" would start on day seven.
"The choice now rests with the United States," Araghchi said.
The US government has not publicly responded,
but the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump quickly ruled it out, citing
scepticism about whether Iran would fulfil US demands. Trump's most persistent
demands have been that Iran never acquire a nuclear weapon and that it restore
free passage in Hormuz, while Iran says it will not discuss its nuclear
programme until its conditions are met. A US official told Al Jazeera that
Washington is in no hurry to respond and sees itself in a strong position
regarding the strait.
Peace negotiations are continuing, but mostly indirectly. At the UN General Assembly in New York, Qatar has been passing messages between the two sides as an intermediary. Both the US and Iran have said the door to diplomacy remains open, and a US official described ongoing mediated talks as "positive and constructive." However, analysts say there is enormous scepticism in Washington that the two countries are on the same page. According to US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal, Trump has told aides he expects to carry out a new bombing campaign against Iran after the November midterm elections.
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