Iranian officials indicated on Sunday that the country's response to the US proposal had left a number of their stated conditions unaddressed, with diplomats noting the two sides had yet to bridge the gaps standing between them and any arrangement over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media conveyed a statement from Mohsen Rezaei, who holds the post of secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and oversees the country's security portfolio, characterising the response from Washington as falling short of what was needed. Rezaei outlined seven conditions put to the American side, adding that access through the Strait of Hormuz would remain off the table and talks would not proceed until each of those terms had been addressed, while separately noting that a clearer statement of the American position on unresolved points was needed before any forward movement in the negotiations could take place.
A statement from him noted that the talks with the American side had moved past the response phase, with their reply meeting some of the conditions put forward while leaving others without clear resolution.
The impasse risks extending a period of unresolved questions around the waterway, which handled roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before hostilities broke out in late February following attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel. Qatar's mediators carried the reply forward, passing it between the two parties as part of a broader push to halt the fighting and reopen shipping lanes.
A trust-building framework and an expanded follow-on to the interim memorandum of understanding concluded in June are the stated aims behind the proposal, according to Iranian officials. Provisions covering the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear programme were woven into the deal, which also helped bring about a temporary halt to hostilities.
According to someone with knowledge of the talks, the point of contention was not the substance of what had been proposed but rather the sequence in which each element would be put into effect — a distinction that surfaced in reporting last week. Iran's position, as conveyed through official statements, holds that any discussion of its nuclear programme falls outside the scope of the current diplomatic push to reopen the strait.
Tehran's position, as relayed by Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, held that the American proposals had done little to move beyond the stances Washington had already put forward, above all on matters relating to the nuclear file. The statement identified the Strait of Hormuz and the restoration of stability there as the foremost concern at that point in time.
Baghaei took issue with the assertion that Tehran had offered UN nuclear inspectors greater access in return for sanctions relief, and he maintained that Iran had not entered into any nuclear discussions with Washington. Disagreement over the nuclear programme has persisted as an unresolved issue in the relationship between the two nations. Negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme have placed the two governments at an impasse, with each side holding firm to positions the other finds unworkable.
On 4 October, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, in his capacity as parliament speaker, stated that access through the strait would not be granted to the United States until Tehran had met seven conditions he described as grounded in the Islamabad memorandum of understanding. His position held that Washington's approach to diplomacy could not be sustained while the terms placed on the table remained, in his view, weighted against the other party.
Speaking at a Saturday rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, President Trump told the assembled crowd that Iran's position on the disputed matters had shifted toward accommodation, then raised the prospect of further Iranian moves before the 3 November midterm elections, framing any such development in terms of its bearing on the vote, and noting that Tehran had grown calmer in its conduct. He expressed a view that the opposing side would likely intensify its actions ahead of the election in an attempt to inflict damage, while asserting that the matter could be brought to a swift resolution. He told those around him that they had little appreciation for the favourable treatment he had extended to them.
Before the midterm elections, statements from Trump indicated that no attack on Iran was being planned, with the reasoning given that dialogue between Washington and Tehran had been taking place on productive terms. In a Thursday post on X, Trump stated that existing restrictions on Iran would remain unchanged notwithstanding the ongoing talks, while also noting that any military action against Iran before 3 November was not under consideration, and that exchanges between the two governments had been going well.
He repeated his stance that Iran would not be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons, while Araghchi, serving as Iran's foreign minister, indicated that Tehran stood ready to return to armed conflict should the United States move away from diplomatic engagement. Addressing foreign ambassadors and diplomats gathered in Tehran on Sunday, Araghchi conveyed that Iran remained open to US-led negotiations while also making clear that any return to military action would be met with a response he described as more prepared than any previous one, adding that all measures deemed necessary for self-defence would be taken.
On Sunday, Iran's military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia conveyed to a broadcast outlet that the country's missile reach would be extended.
