Iran announced, on Wednesday, that it had received the American response to a proposal it submitted to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, days after US President Donald Trump announced his rejection of the plan, while attacks on ships crossing the Strait continued.
Iranian government spokeswoman Fatima Mohajerani said that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented during a government meeting the American response to President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Last week, Iran submitted a proposal stipulating that reciprocal steps be taken within seven days, including the United States lifting its blockade on Iranian ports in exchange for Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic.
Trump said on Sunday that he rejected the Iranian proposal, but Araqchi said at the time that Tehran had not received an official response.
Reuters quoted an official familiar with the talks as saying that Qatari mediators briefed Araghchi on the American response on Tuesday, during his stop in Doha on his way back from New York.
The official added that the two sides largely agree on the required steps, but disagreement still exists regarding the order in which to implement them.
Last week, the United States and Iran resumed indirect talks through Qatari mediators in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings, in the first talks of this kind since the collapse of the previous ceasefire.
Among its conditions, Iran demands an end to the US naval blockade, the lifting of sanctions on its oil sector, and the release of frozen Iranian assets abroad, in addition to a ceasefire in other regions of the Middle East.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most prominent points of disagreement between the two sides, as Tehran seeks for any agreement to include arrangements that give it control over transit traffic through it, according to Reuters.
In a simultaneous field development, the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority said that, on Tuesday, three ships were hit by unspecified projectiles while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, including an oil tanker and two tank ships.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard spokesman Hussein Mohebi said that Iranian forces target small ships trying to cross the strait, adding that Tehran prevents ships that try to pass without coordination with them.
About a fifth of the world's supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the outbreak of war, but shipping and energy movement through the sea lane has declined significantly since the start of the fighting.
In return, the United States escalated its economic pressure on Iran, imposed sanctions on Iranian airlines, and warned foreign companies against providing aid to them.
Trump: Iran is a "destroyed country now" and things will happen soon in Tehran
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran has become a "destroyed country now," adding that "things will happen soon" in Tehran.
During a speech at the White House, Trump said that, according to him, the United States had eliminated the Iranian naval and air forces, and that it now had “almost complete control” over the Strait of Hormuz.
He added that the United States was able to remove large quantities of oil through the Strait, describing these quantities as unprecedented in the history of the Strait, according to his estimate.
Trump: “Iran will surrender”
In statements to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said that he did not know if Iran would surrender soon, but he stressed that it “will surrender in the end,” considering that Tehran is not doing well in the ongoing war with the United States.
Trump added in statements to reporters: “I don’t know if they will surrender yet, but they will surrender,” noting that the continued economic and military pressures have weakened Iran’s position.
