Trump denies offering Iran sanctions relief as Tehran awaits formal US response
Iran expects a formal US response to its revised proposal to end the seven-month war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, after President Trump rejected an earlier version over the weekend
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Qatari mediators in New York are relaying Tehran's revised proposal to the US after Trump rejected Iran's seven-day plan over the weekend. At the center of the proposal is the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran says it would allow to reopen if the US lifts its blockade of Iranian ports.
Tehran is also seeking a halt to fighting in Iran and Lebanon, relief from oil sanctions, and access to billions of dollars in frozen funds, with talks over its nuclear program to follow. Washington is demanding concrete nuclear concessions immediately.
Araghchi said Monday that any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on Iran's conditions being met, adding, "Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock." The foreign minister said mediators had not yet officially relayed a US rejection of the proposal, and Tehran was "waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us."
Trump rejected media reports from Axios and CNN, which cited unidentified US officials saying he was willing to offer Iran sanctions relief and release frozen funds in exchange for "concrete progress" on the nuclear issue. "This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation" that Tehran is ready for talks on its nuclear program and other issues but will not accept "bullying or coercion." "Iran is not seeking war, but will defend itself against pressure, threats and attacks," Pezeshkian said, adding that Iran had already agreed it is "not supposed to develop nuclear weapons."