Tehran has shortened its earlier seven-day proposal to two days (Photo: Reuters),
Baghaei, meanwhile, also criticised Washington’s reported efforts to persuade Iraq to close most of its border crossings with Iran, after Iraq’s foreign minister said the US was pushing for such a move.
Iran on Monday defended its revised proposal to resume negotiations with the United States within two days, calling it the most reasonable offer on the table after US secretary of state Marco Rubio described some of Tehran’s demands as “outrageous and ridiculous”. Baghaei said at a weekly press conference, according to Reuters. Iran has said it would reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz if its conditions are met. He said President Donald Trump remained open to resolving the conflict through diplomacy, but argued that negotiations could not advance under the conditions being proposed by Iran.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei questioned Washington’s objections, arguing that Tehran’s conditions were legitimate prerequisites for negotiations. “Is it unreasonable that Iran demands that US illegal sanctions and its naval blockade must be lifted before negotiations start and that the war should end on all fronts? The revised plan calls for Washington to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, ease sanctions, release frozen Iranian assets and agree to end hostilities on all fronts.
Tehran has shortened its earlier seven-day proposal to two days. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that the offer remained on the table and urged Washington to accept its terms, warning that Iran’s armed forces were prepared for further confrontation.