Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday that Tehran had received a letter from US Vice President J.D. Vance, but had not yet responded to it, after the Wall Street Journal published on Wednesday a report stating that Vance had sent a letter to Secretary of the Iranian National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei in an effort to revive peace negotiations.
The agency added that Tehran insists that the United States meet its seven conditions, and believes that "any position that conflicts with this framework is unacceptable."
Revolutionary Guard: Fires break out in tankers in Hormuz
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced on Thursday that at least four tankers that collided with mines caught fire while trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz, a day after the US military confirmed that it had cleared mines from the main roads in the waterway.
The Revolutionary Guard said in a statement carried by the official IRNA agency, “During the past 24 hours, three illegal oil tankers were subjected to an explosion and fire after colliding with mines while crossing the unauthorized route south of the Strait of Hormuz.”
He added that the tankers "turned off all their radar and navigation systems" and ignored warnings from the Revolutionary Guard's naval force.
It is not yet clear when the accidents occurred or what flags the tankers were flying.
Later Thursday, the Iranian military reported that another tanker caught fire east of the strait.
The army stated, in a statement broadcast on state television, that "a tanker that was operating illegally in a prohibited and dangerous area east of the Strait of Hormuz was damaged and caught fire after colliding with sea mines, rendering it unable to move."
On Wednesday, Iran warned of the devastating economic impact of any new attack led by Israel against it.
It also stated that it was holding discussions with mediators regarding a plan that it had previously put forward to end the war in the region and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Araqchi said in a statement on the
Since the outbreak of the war, Iran has paralyzed navigation in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which was a passage for about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, and has also begun attacking ships that attempt to cross without its permission.
In contrast, the United States continues to impose a naval blockade on Iranian ports to put pressure on the Iranian economy.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Washington had asked several Gulf Arab countries to prepare for the possibility of launching a “short and intense military campaign” against Iran, in the wake of the US midterm elections scheduled for November 3.
But the newspaper quoted sources familiar with these discussions as saying that President Trump has not yet taken a final decision in this regard.
Iran warned that it would respond more broadly in the event of any new attack, and Rezaei threatened to target infrastructure linked to the United States, including data centers and other facilities related to artificial intelligence.
'An opportunity for diplomacy'
Araqchi announced, on Wednesday, that Iran is discussing with mediators ways to implement the seven-day plan aimed at ending the war in the region and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“While our brave armed forces stand ready to defend the homeland, Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed,” Araqchi wrote on the X platform.
He added, "We are in close and continuous contact with the mediators to discuss ideas that will ensure the implementation of the seven-day plan within less than a week."
Trump had previously rejected this plan after Iran proposed it in September.
The plan stipulated the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the “necessary conditions” were met, especially with regard to ending the war on all fronts in the region.
In its previous proposal, Tehran also demanded the release of its frozen assets abroad, the lifting of sanctions imposed on its oil sector, in addition to ending the US blockade on its ports.
Negotiations between Washington and Tehran stopped months ago.
