Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that while Tehran is ready to defend itself, it’s also still giving diplomacy a chance, comments that come amid reports of renewed efforts from Gulf Arab states to avert another US-Israeli attack on Iran.
“While our Brave Armed Forces are fully prepared to defend the Homeland, Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed,” Araghchi wrote on X.
“We remain in close and ongoing contact with intermediaries to review ideas that can ensure implementation of our 7-Day Plan in even less than a week,” he added.
Last month, Iran proposed a seven-day deal in which the US would end its blockade of Iranian ports, issue sanctions waivers for Iran, and release some frozen Iranian funds in exchange for Tehran fully opening the Strait of Hormuz within seven days. After that, the two sides would begin negotiations on a nuclear deal.
According to a report from Reuters, Qatar has offered Iran a new seven-day proposal that would require Tehran to agree to some nuclear concessions, but Iranian officials have maintained the nuclear issue isn’t up for discussion until the US takes the steps lifted above, which the US previously agreed to do under the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding that was signed back in June.
Reuters cited an unnamed Iranian official who said that Qatar had presented only “unacceptable ideas and not an offer,” though Araghchi’s comments suggest Iran is still engaging. The Guardian reported on Wednesday that the Gulf Arab states are also working on a potential multi-pronged deal that would also include de-escalation in Yemen.
