US, Iran talks on Strait of Hormuz reopening expected to resume Monday

Three officials tell The Associated Press that mediators were still working with Iran and the United States on a deal to end the fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz with the indirect talks expected to resume on MondayThe details were revealed as the war enters its eighth month after causing widespread economic suffering Multiple efforts to allow safe shipping on one of the worlds most crucial waterways have failedThere was uncertainty over the weekend after President Donald Trump told journalists he had rejected Tehrans latest proposal to reopen the strait in a week if the US lifts its blockade of Iranian ports releases frozen Iranian assets and waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales among other conditionsIrans foreign minister however remained in New York and said he awaited word from mediators Qatar has been mediatingThe deal would first reopen the strait and lift the US blockadeTwo of the officials speaking to the AP on Monday confirmed that mediators are working with both sides on a proposal that would include reopening the strait and lifting the US blockade and then removing sanctionsAccording to the draft text being discussed the strait would reopen in accordance with a separate deal that Iran has been discussing with Oman on the other side of the strait and it would include no tolls something Tehran has pursued That deal seeks to temporarily manage shipping traffic on what was seen as an international waterway before the warThe two officials also said that despite Trumps public comments the US has not officially rejected the current proposal indicating that his remarks may have been a negotiating tacticThe third official said the US is seeking Iranian concessions on its nuclear programme including allowing inspectors to enter the country Under the Memorandum of Understanding the two sides signed in June that collapsed within days Irans nuclear programme was meant to be discussed over a 60day periodAll three officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss behindthescenes diplomatic negotiationsOne official reported positive signals coming from both sides A second reported slight progress over the weekend The third said mediators are still trying to soften the positions of both sidesThe White House did not immediately respond to a request for commentIrans latest proposal has sought a faster timelineWhile Irans latest proposal echoes the June deal a key difference is speed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a closeddoor meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week that Tehran had pitched the deal as benefiting Trump in the midterm elections Araghchi later told journalists that the sevenday timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this planBoth the US and Iran have been hurting economically the US from high oil prices as Iran attacks ships on the strait and Tehran from the naval blockade and a growing number of US sanctions that bottle up its oil sales Brent crude the international standard is above USD 108For months the two sides have been trying to outlast the other while regional countries put up with missile and drone attacks as Tehran claims to target US military assets in the regionReflecting Irans impatience a rare statement on Monday attributed to the theocracys Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei noted the painful blows that enemy forces have received near the strait Before long the Arabian Sea too will be rid of them the statement addedThe latest proposed deal again seeks to end the fighting on all fronts including in Lebanon But a new front has emerged in recent weeks as Iranbacked rebels in Yemen are now perched on another crucial waterway the Bab elMandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea That has further pressured global marketsIran argues that the Houthis have their own demands and that their conflict with neighbouring Saudi Arabia is separate from the USIran war but Iranian officials said they are willing to help in finding a settlement between the Houthis and the Saudis one of the officials saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever