Iran Says Diplomacy is Only Way to Resolve U.S.-Israel Conflict

Iran has insisted that diplomacy was the only way to resolve its conflict with the United States and Israel after President Donald Trump said he had rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the fighting, Trevor Hunnicutt, Yomna Ehab and Menna Alaa El-Din reported for Reuters.

Efforts to resolve the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel have so far proved fruitless. [Photo: U.S. Central Command Public Affairs]

"Iran's conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a social media post.

"Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock." 

Iran announced a proposal at the United Nations General Assembly in New York that it said had been transmitted to US officials through Qatari mediators.

Trump said Saturday that he had rejected the proposal, arguing that Iran was seeking an agreement because of the pressure it was facing. 

Araqchi said mediators had not officially communicated a US rejection of the proposal to Tehran. "We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them," he said. 

The proposed arrangement involved conditions related to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming broader negotiations, including discussions concerning Iran's nuclear program.

The conflict has severely disrupted shipping through the strategic waterway and affected global energy markets.