Washington and Tehran are discussing through mediators a new formula for a ceasefire and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, amid reports of “slight progress” in communications, while the US administration is committed to obtaining concessions in the Iranian nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with the Qatari mediator in New York, before his scheduled return to Tehran, today (Tuesday), amid expectations that the contacts will focus on a modified version of the seven-day proposal presented by Tehran, while an Iranian source denied the existence of a new round of negotiations with the American side.
Two officials said that the proposal that the mediators are working on includes reopening the Strait and lifting the American blockade, then lifting the sanctions, while Washington is demanding nuclear concessions that include allowing inspectors to enter the country.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the mediators are trying to push Tehran to make nuclear concessions, describing the effort as “far-fetched.” In Tehran, more than 30 former Iranian officials called for withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
This comes after President Donald Trump announced his rejection of the Iranian proposal. Araqchi responded that Tehran had not received an official American rejection through mediators.
Iranian Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said, in a new message attributed to him, that the “enemy” forces received “painful strikes” near Hormuz, threatening that “the Arabian Sea will soon be devoid of them as well.”
A report prepared by Democrats in the US Senate, and published today, Monday, showed that the stable currency “USDT” affiliated with “Tether” has become an “important financial lifeline” for Iran and a tool for financing groups allied with it, such as the Lebanese “Hezbollah” group.
The report described 846 cryptocurrency wallets that were subject to Israeli and American sanctions for their connection to Iran. The report was led by Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
The report concluded that 84 percent of transactions were made in USDT, to help the Iranian government transfer money across its borders and support its currency under sanctions through means including the Central Bank of Iran.
Blumenthal said in a statement that the report “reveals how Tether and its main digital currency have become essential components of Iran’s parallel banking system,” allowing the Iranian government to finance a range of activities. He called on the Treasury and Justice Departments to investigate Tether.
USDT is the largest dollar-backed stablecoin in the world. Tether said, in a statement, that it is committed to cooperating with the government, and announced that it supported the freezing of approximately $550 million in USDT currency linked to Iran in 2026.
“The company has consistently proven that USDT is not a haven for sanctioned entities, terrorist organizations, or criminal networks,” Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, said in the statement.
The Treasury Department intensified sanctions on Iran following the military campaign against the Islamic Republic this year.
Last month, the ministry launched “Operation Economic Exclusion,” which focused specifically on cryptocurrency transactions.
US President Donald Trump said that US officials held talks on Monday with mediators seeking to end the war between Washington and Iran.
He added to reporters in the Oval Office that the United States would win the war with Iran “very soon.” Trump added: “We will win, in my view, one way or another... and it will happen very quickly.” He stated that gasoline prices would fall sharply after the United States won the war.
On the other hand, the US President said that the British police should not have released the five men suspected of a plot to attack a military base in England used by American forces. He said: “I am surprised that they were released. I would not have done that,” adding: “We know everything about them.” "We would not have released them."
