Donald Trump, according to US reports, has rejected an Iranian peace proposal that would have reopened the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told reporters at the UN General Assembly Iran had delivered a peace plan through Qatari mediators.
He said if “necessary conditions” were met, regional fighting would stop and the Strait of Hormuz would reopen within a week.
Before war broke, a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the crucial waterway, and its closure has caused massive fluctuation in energy price.
Mr Araqchi told reporters all steps the US needed to take were contained within the 60-day memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in June.
But Mr Trump has already rejected the peace plan and and expects bombing to resume after November’s midterm elections, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed US officals.
The 14-point MOU, signed on June 18, stated Iran would never have a nuclear weapon.
It also noted that the US would end military operations on “all fronts” and deliver a “mutually agreed plan with at least $300billion” to rebuild Iran.
But the ceasefire soon collapsed and strikes resumed.
A US official told Reuters the US and Iran were having “positive and constructive discussions through the mediators”, but Mr Trump is privately skeptical Iran would meet his demands.
The President instead believes a renewed bombing campaign is more likely, according to the WSJ report.
US Envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed talks were held with Mr Araqchi at the UN General Assembly, saying mediators had “completed a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising”.
LATEST IRAN WAR NEWS:
Ed Miliband under fire after posing for photo with Iran regime ministerWatch the moment US delegation storms out of UN meeting during Iranian President’s speechDonald Trump considers ‘blowing up entire nation’ of Iran as Tehran gears up for imminent escalation
Mr Trump, meanwhile, used his speech at the global meeting to justify the war.
“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before?” he said.
“Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell?”
Late on Friday, after the publication of the WSJ report, Mr Trump posted an image of the Strait of Hormuz circled and labelled the “Trump Strait”.
On Friday, Mr Araqchi said Iran would not accept “coercion, threats or intimidation”, adding “peace cannot be built through threats of annihilation”.
Earlier this week, Andy Burnham deployed an RAF jet to the Middle East to aid Saudi Arabi in its war against Iran-backed Houthi militant in Yemen.
The new war front has raised fears that fuel prices could skyrocket as the Kingdom was forced to shut down its East-West pipeline, which has allowed Saudi Arabia to bypass the chaos in the Strait of Hormuz.
Mr Burnham said he took action because of concerns around “cost-of-living pressures and acting to secure the interests of Britain and the wider region”.
The US has not yet given direct support, but provides intelligence and targeting assistance.
Our Standards:
The GB News Editorial Charter
