President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran were moving towards a settlement, while a senior Iranian official indicated Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within days if Washington eased military pressure and lifted its blockade on Iranian ports.
Mr Trump made the remarks in New York after meeting British Prime Minister Andy Burnham at the United Nations. He said Iran had been communicating with the US, but stressed that Washington would not allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
“They want to talk to us. They have been talking to us, even today they’ve been talking to us, and the relationship is developing,” Mr Trump said.
“But we can’t let them – and they understand that – we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”
He offered no details about the discussions. No face-to-face meeting between the two countries is known to have taken place since July, when an interim agreement intended to end the conflict collapsed weeks after being signed.
Iran offers to reopen Strait of Hormuz
The Iranian proposal was conveyed to Washington through mediators last week, according to the senior official, who said the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened to Gulf shipping within seven days if Tehran’s demands were met.
The official said the US first needed to make clear that it wanted to resolve the dispute diplomatically, announce that position formally and agree a timetable. “The UN General Assembly is a golden opportunity for the US to return to diplomacy,” the official said.
The strait was a major conduit for global oil and gas shipments before the war, carrying about a fifth of such supplies. Gulf states are keen to restore shipping but remain wary of handing Iran greater influence.
Iran’s position remained uncompromising in other comments. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who led Iran’s negotiating team at previous talks, said: “Trump must understand that he cannot impose his power on the Iranian people and its armed forces.”
Mr Trump’s comments came only hours after he used a combative address to the United Nations to threaten to annihilate Iran if it did not agree to a deal. He also called for the country’s complete economic isolation and said an agreement was more likely after November’s midterm elections.
“It doesn’t make sense for them not to. They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election,” he said.
The president is facing domestic discontent over the unpopular war with Iran, rising energy costs and persistently high inflation.
Mr Trump was due to meet leaders from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. All six countries want shipping through the Strait of Hormuz restored, while all except Oman host large US military bases that have come under repeated Iranian attack during the conflict.
