
Iran has said it is trying to accelerate the ceasefire plan it has proposed to the United States, as the region braces for possible renewed fighting in the US-Israel war against the country.
Officials in Tehran said on Monday that theàseven-step plan they put on the table last month remains the same, but could now be implemented more quickly. The proposal includes a swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and return to talks over IranâÂÂs nuclear programme.
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The statement comes as Iranian officials continue negotiations with Qatari mediators in the latest effort to find a diplomatic path out of the eight-month conflict.
US President Donald Trump has said the latest negotiations were âÂÂgoing fineâ but has suggested several times that the United States could strike Iran after the November 3 US midterm elections.
The offer from Iran remains on the table but has now been âÂÂcondensed and can be implemented within two daysâ instead of seven, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said.
âÂÂIf IranâÂÂs demands are met, it is possible that both security will be restored to the Strait of Hormuz and the negotiation process will begin within a short period of time,â Baghaei said. âÂÂAll of this depends on how the American side wants to proceed regarding the future of this process.âÂÂ
IranâÂÂs Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has reportedly granted âÂÂpowersâ to the government to accelerate talks with the US to end the regional war, the state IRNA news agency said.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that Tehran is prepared for both diplomacy and military confrontation, as mediators â Qatar and Pakistan continue to facilitate indirect talks.
âÂÂBy accepting these conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened and negotiations will resume,â Araghchi told IRNA in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. âÂÂOtherwise, the current situation will continue and Iran will not bow down.âÂÂ
Iran previously said the plan could be implemented within a week if the US met its conditions, which include lifting the naval blockade of its ports, the repeal of sanctions, and a guarantee of an end to strikes, and a complete regional ceasefire, especially in Lebanon.
Baghaei gave no indication that Tehran had changed its demands or that Washington had accepted its proposal.
Trump said the war on Iran will end âÂÂvery soon one way or the otherâÂÂ, telling the Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN) on Sunday that Tehran would either âÂÂmake a deal or weâÂÂll just end itâÂÂ.
