Iran has conveyed conditions to mediators for restarting negotiations aimed at ending its war with the United States, according to Mohsen Rezaei, head of the country’s Supreme National Security Council.
Mr Rezaei said Iran was awaiting a response from US President Donald Trump after sending its message through Qatar. The timing of the communication was not disclosed.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, he said Tehran was seeking an end to the conflict on all fronts, the release of Iranian assets seized by the United States and an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
He added that consultations were continuing with Qatari and Pakistani mediators, after earlier negotiations between Iran and the US collapsed.
Mr Rezaei also said Iran wanted fighting between Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels in Yemen to stop, claiming that Yemenis also wanted a settlement with Saudi Arabia.
The diplomatic move came as the US military offered its assessment of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of United States Central Command, said the military had supported the transit of one billion barrels of oil through the strait over the previous two months. He said Iran had “exported zero barrels” because of the US blockade.
Admiral Cooper said the strait’s primary shipping lanes had been cleared of mines, while the volume of oil, natural gas and cargo passing through over the previous two weeks was at its highest level in six months.
However, monitors said shipping traffic remained well below pre-war levels. Iranian forces have continued attacking vessels while asserting control over the waterway, through which about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war.
