Iran’s foreign minister met Pakistan’s interior minister on Friday to discuss proposals aimed at ending the U.S.-Israeli conflict, according to Iranian media, as Tehran and Washington remain divided over Iran’s uranium reserves and oversight of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian news agencies Tasnim and ISNA reported that Syed Mohsin Naqvi held fresh talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Tehran, just two days after delivering the latest U.S. message to Iranian officials during ongoing negotiations.
Naqvi was facilitating communication to try and achieve a framework for ending the war and resolving differences, ISNA reported.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Thursday there had been “some good signs” in the talks, but there could be no solution if Tehran enforced a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, which it effectively closed to most shipping after the war began on February 28.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Thursday that gaps had been narrowed, although uranium enrichment and the Strait of Hormuz remained among the sticking points.
Trump Presses Iran on Uranium Stockpile
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. would eventually recover Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium – which Washington believes is destined for a nuclear weapon though Tehran says it is intended purely for peaceful purposes.
Two senior Iranian sources told Reuters before Trump’s comments that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had issued a directive that the uranium should not be sent abroad.
The U.S. president also railed against Tehran’s intentions to charge fees on ships using the strait.
Trump faces domestic pressure ahead of November midterm elections, with Americans angry over the surge in fuel prices and his approval rating near its lowest level since he returned to the White House last year.
Tehran submitted its latest offer to the U.S. earlier this week.
Tehran’s descriptions suggest it largely repeats terms Trump previously rejected, including demands for control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damage, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen assets and the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Global Energy Shock
The International Energy Agency says the conflict has produced the world’s worst energy shock.
It warned on Thursday that the peak of summer fuel demand coupled with a lack of new supply from the Middle East meant the market could enter the “red zone” in July and August.
Traffic through the strait has fallen to a trickle compared with 125 to 140 daily passages before the war.
Iran has said it aims to reopen the strait to friendly countries that abide by its terms that could potentially include fees.
“It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they were to continue to pursue that. So it’s a threat to the world if they were trying to do that, and it’s completely illegal,” Rubio said.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said their war aims were to curb Iran’s support for regional militias, dismantle its nuclear program, destroy its missile capabilities and make it easier for Iranians to topple their rulers.
But Iran has so far retained its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, and its ability to threaten neighbours with missiles, drones and proxy militias.
(With inputs from Reuters)
