Iran receives US feedback on seven-day trust-building plan
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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York City, on Sept 25.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Iran received US feedback on a seven-day trust-building plan through Qatari mediators aimed at improving relations and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
- The main disagreement between Iran and the US concerns the sequencing of trust-building steps, not the plan's content.
- Qatar continues mediating to resolve conflicts and revive an enhanced memorandum of understanding from June covering maritime and nuclear issues.
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DOHA – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi received US feedback via Qatari mediators in Doha on Sept 29 on a seven-day plan aimed at building trust between Washington and Tehran, with sequencing the main sticking point, an official, who was not Iranian but was briefed on the talks, told Reuters.
Araqchi is expected to discuss the US response in Tehran on Sept 30, the official said.
Iran last week presented a seven-day proposal under which Araqchi said the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened and normal maritime passage restored if the necessary conditions were met. US President Donald Trump subsequently rejected the proposal, prompting further Qatari mediation.
The Qatari mediators conveyed the feedback they had received from Washington on Sept 28, meeting Araqchi and his team on their way back from the US, the official said.
The document being circulated outlines a seven-day period of trust-building aimed at returning the two sides to an enhanced version of the memorandum of understanding agreed in June, including concrete steps on Iran’s nuclear programme, the official said, without further elaboration. The disagreement centres on the sequencing of the steps rather than the components of the plan, the official added.
Qatar has been shuttling messages between Washington and Tehran in an effort to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The June memorandum of understanding led to a brief ceasefire and included provisions on the strait and Iran’s nuclear programme. REUTERS