Iran Receives US Response on Ceasefire

BAGHDAD Iran said on Wednesday it had received a US response to its latest proposal aimed at reviving a collapsed ceasefire in the Gulf, opening another possible channel for diplomacy even as disagreements remain between Washington and Tehran. The response was conveyed to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi through Qatari mediators after indirect US-Iran talks held around the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Iranian officials had earlier said Tehran had not received a formal rejection, despite US President Donald Trump publicly saying he had rejected the proposal. Iran’s seven-day proposal calls for Washington to lift its blockade of Iranian ports and take other steps, after which Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore normal maritime passage. The plan also seeks to revive an interim understanding reached in June that later collapsed. An official briefed on the negotiations told that the two sides broadly agree on the steps required but remain divided over the sequence in which those measures should be implemented. Qatar has continued mediating between Washington and Tehran in an effort to bridge the differences. The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the negotiations because it is a major route for global oil and gas shipments. Maritime traffic has increased in recent weeks, but flows remain substantially disrupted and shipping companies continue to face elevated security risks. The development comes as the conflict between Iran and the US and Israel enters its eighth month, while Washington has also completed its military withdrawal from neighbouring Iraq.