Daijiworld Media Network - Doha
Doha, Nov 1: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said that Tehran has no immediate plans to meet US officials, while consultations with mediators are continuing over Iran's conditions for resolving the crisis, Qatar's Al Jazeera reported on Saturday.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Araghchi dismissed reports of possible meetings as media speculation, stating that Iran currently saw no need to hold discussions with American officials.
He said Tehran would decide whether to pursue direct or indirect negotiations only after Washington accepted its conditions, Xinhua news agency reported.
Araghchi said an Iranian delegation had travelled to Qatar for further discussions, while his aide was also there to continue consultations with mediators.
According to the Iranian Foreign Minister, Tehran's conditions include recognition of a new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, worked out with Oman, and the closure of other routes.
Iran is also seeking the lifting of sanctions imposed after the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a reduction in US military forces in the region, restoration of sanctions waivers for Iranian oil exports and the release of all frozen Iranian funds, including those held in Qatar.
Tehran has also demanded an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, he said.
Araghchi said mediators had presented proposals concerning Iran's nuclear programme, which Tehran was reviewing as part of what he described as a second phase of the process.
He also revealed that a letter from US Vice President J.D. Vance had been examined at high-level meetings. Araghchi described Washington's effort to open the door to broader dialogue and understanding as a "positive step".
On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran retaliated with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US bases and assets across the region, while tightening its control over the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire between the warring parties was reached on April 8. On June 18, Iran and the United States signed the MoU aimed at ending the war across the region.
Under the agreement, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on August 17, to reach a final agreement on Iran's nuclear programme and the lifting of sanctions. However, they failed to make sufficient progress towards a deal.