Iran awaits US move after WSJ report says Trump rejects peace plan

CAIRO/UNITED NATIONS: Iran on Saturday (Sep 26) awaited a US response to its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end fighting in the Middle East war after the Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump had rejected the deal.

Iran raised the diplomatic initiative at the UN General Assembly in New York, saying it had been transmitted to the Americans via Qatari mediators and could reopen the strategic waterway and put an end to hostilities in the region within seven days.

But Trump is privately sceptical that Iran would meet his demands and has told his staff that he sees a renewed bombing campaign as likely after the November US midterm elections, the Journal reported, citing unnamed US officials.

Earlier, a US official had said discussions with Iran through mediators were "positive and constructive".

IRAN WON'T ACCEPT "BULLYING, COERCION", PRESIDENT SAYS

The Iranians also engaged their Saudi rivals regarding the strait, underscoring the stakes of a seven-month-old conflict that has disrupted oil flows through one of the world's most critical shipping lanes and taken a toll on the global economy.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters at the United Nations on Friday that the proposed deal would trigger a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait and a pause in regional fighting.

"If there is seriousness on the US side to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared," Araghchi said. If the US were to agree, the warring parties could start wider talks "on mutually agreed subjects", he said.

That could potentially include discussions of Iran's nuclear programme. Trump has vowed that Tehran will never acquire a nuclear bomb, while a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran will show no ​flexibility over its nuclear programme even if the United States accepts its peace deal.

Iran would grant no concessions over its rights, including ​enriching uranium or shipping its ​highly enriched uranium out ⁠of the country, the official said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in an interview with the CBS show "Face the Nation", said Tehran was ready for talks on its nuclear programme and other issues, but would not accept "bullying or coercion".

"Iran is not seeking war, but will defend itself against pressure, threats and attacks,” Pezeshkian said, adding that it had already agreed that "we're not supposed to develop nuclear weapons".

Araghchi said Iran had put forward a plan that would halt hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. The plan in turn would require the United States to lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release Iran’s frozen funds, and waive its oil sanctions, Araghchi said.

Previous attempts at diplomacy have failed to end the war, which began on Feb 28 with US and Israeli attacks.

Since then, the war has alternated between pauses and renewed strikes, killing thousands while degrading Iran's conventional forces and damaging Iran's already ailing economy.

Iran and its allies have retaliated by extending the conflict throughout the region. Iran, which controls the strait along with Oman, has struck US allies in the Gulf with drones and missiles while its Houthi allies in Yemen have targeted Saudi interests. 

Iranian-aligned militias in Iraq were blamed for a pipeline attack that temporarily took more Saudi oil off the market. All the while, Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been engaged with Israeli forces in Lebanon.

SAUDI ALLIES UNITE

Araghchi briefed his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan on the understanding between Iran and Oman regarding safe shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's foreign ministry said early on Saturday.

The war's widening toll has also united Saudi Arabia's allies to shore up the kingdom's defences.

The Saudi-backed, internationally recognised Yemeni government has come under assault from Iran-linked Houthi fighters, with Houthi missiles striking inside the kingdom.

Yemen's Saudi-led coalition said early on Saturday it intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis towards Khamis Mushait and two drones headed towards the capital Riyadh.

The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and much of the north, have launched attacks against Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July, with strikes targeting Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.

The attacks have targeted Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping, adding to pressures on global oil supplies caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran and putting at risk the main alternative Red Sea route for Gulf exports while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains largely blocked.

Defence officials of Turkey and Pakistan, both partners in a joint defence pact with Saudi Arabia, met in Riyadh on Friday to review the security situation and discuss intelligence cooperation, military coordination and integrating forces, the Saudi defence ministry said in a statement.

The statement came a day after Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish foreign ministers met within the framework of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.

The violence in Yemen has prompted a new humanitarian crisis, the United Nations children's agency said on Friday, reporting a rise in acute malnutrition among children.