Iran offers US new deal to end conflict before November midterms

Iran has offered the US a new deal aimed at ending the months-long conflict before the November midterm elections, directly challenging President Donald Trump’s claim that Tehran is deliberately waiting until after the vote to reach an agreement.

Trump claimed in his UN speech on Tuesday that Iran was deliberately stalling the talks to see how Republicans performed in the November 3 elections and predicted that Tehran would make a deal “right after” the vote. He also threatened to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if negotiations failed.

“We don’t want it to get to the midterm elections,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday. “We wish Americans to return to the MOU before the midterms,” he added, referring to a memorandum of understanding reached by Washington and Tehran in June.

“We did reach an agreement with your president… The problem is that America, instead of conducting dialogue, descended into the arena by bombing us first, by blocking every pathway,” Pezeshkian added in an interview with Fox News. “We will stand resolutely to defend ourselves. We never sought war… It’s America that must choose whether it wants to end this or not.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has now submitted a proposal under which the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened within about a week and negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program rapidly resumed. The proposal was transmitted to Washington through mediators during talks in New York this week.

Under the plan, Tehran would restore navigation through the crucial oil shipping route in exchange for Washington lifting its economic blockade, easing restrictions on Iranian oil exports and releasing some frozen Iranian assets. Iran is also seeking an end to hostilities on other fronts, including Israel’s combat operations in Lebanon.

US and Iranian negotiators are discussing a phased arrangement in which the blockade and restrictions on Hormuz would be addressed first, Reuters reported, citing Iranian, regional and Western diplomatic sources.

Tehran has not abandoned its claim to regulate Hormuz, with Iranian officials continuing to insist that the waterway should be managed by Iran and Oman and that fees may be charged for services provided to passing vessels.

Araghchi said the proposal largely follows the terms of the June memorandum rather than introducing new demands. He said Iran was waiting for Washington’s response.

Araghchi has also held a series of meetings with foreign counterparts in New York, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Moscow stressed that there was “no alternative” to a diplomatic settlement of the crisis provoked by the “illegal actions” of the US and Israel.

The renewed diplomatic push comes amid mounting pressure on both sides. The US blockade has sharply restricted Iran’s oil exports, while Tehran’s controls over Hormuz have disrupted one of the world’s most important energy corridors and helped push oil prices above $100 a barrel and US diesel prices to historic highs.

Pezeshkian, who became the first foreign head of state to speak at the UN while his country was at war with the US, told the chamber on Wednesday that Tehran remained prepared for “dialogue and diplomacy” but would not negotiate under threats of force and “will never bow our head or bend at the knee.”