Mediation efforts aimed at restarting ceasefire talks with the United States are calling on Iran to make concessions regarding its nuclear program. The effort to persuade the government in Tehran to negotiate over the nuclear issue is expected to be lengthy and difficult.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country remained open to diplomacy but would respond to any new military intervention.
"We are fully prepared for the war to resume. In the face of new aggression, we will stand firm, even if it is an apocalyptic war. At the same time, we are ready for diplomacy. The choice belongs to President Trump."
Iran’s ceasefire proposal
Iran’s seven-day ceasefire proposal, presented earlier, called for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened and for the United States to end its blockade of Iranian ports. After U.S. President Donald Trump rejected the proposal, mediators asked Tehran to take steps on its nuclear program to enable the talks to resume.
Mediators in the Gulf said Iran had made no concessions since Trump rejected the ceasefire proposal. Gulf officials also said Tehran was demanding that Washington make concessions first for the talks to move forward.
The Strait of Hormuz and sanctions
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said his country’s mediation efforts, which involved carrying messages between Washington and Tehran, were struggling to resolve the conflict. Al Thani described the conflict as "very complex."
Iran wants Washington to return to the agreement reached in June. The agreement called for nuclear talks to begin after the Strait of Hormuz was reopened and included easing sanctions, releasing billions of dollars in Iranian funds held abroad, and ending the U.S. blockade.
U.S. officials say Donald Trump no longer wants to return to the agreement. The Washington administration continues to tighten sanctions and maintain the blockade of Iranian ports.
A senior Middle Eastern official involved in the talks said Iran could reach a compromise on its nuclear program. The official also said Tehran would seek explicit guarantees that Israel would not launch another attack after any agreement with the United States.
According to Anadolu Agency, the comprehensive draft the mediators are working on would see the US end its naval blockade of Iran and lift sanctions, while Iran would drop its demand for transit fees through the strait. Washington, for its part, wants nuclear concessions from Tehran, including access for nuclear inspectors. Officials said the new offer resembles the memorandum signed in June 2026, which collapsed within days and envisaged addressing the nuclear file within 60 days, and that limited progress was made over the weekend.
