Tehran is reviewing a U.S. proposal and plans to send its response through Pakistani mediators, with Pakistani officials reportedly expecting an answer by Thursday. A member of the Iranian parliament and a former foreign minister have told Al Jazeera that Tehran will transmit a reply.
Iran says its immediate priority is a cessation of hostilities on all fronts and that talks on its nuclear programme are not on the table at this stage. Tehran is demanding concrete guarantees from the UN Security Council, the lifting of international sanctions, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials have indicated that only if those conditions are met would a second phase of engagement, potentially including discussions about its nuclear activities, be considered.
Separately, Iran has created a new agency called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority and announced a changed maritime regime for the Strait of Hormuz, saying vessels must notify and communicate with Iranian authorities before transiting.
Iran has also publicly called on the United States and Israel to recognise what it describes as the rights of the Iranian nation as a step toward ending the war. Brigadier General Reza Talaei-Nik was quoted by state media as saying the United States cannot extricate itself from the current quagmire unless it accepts those rights, distances itself from what he termed the Zionist regime, and acknowledges battlefield realities.
Reports cited here were carried by international and regional outlets and quoted Iranian officials; Tehran says it is still considering the U.S. proposal while setting those political and security conditions for any further talks.
