Iran announced Wednesday that it had received Washington’s response to its latest proposal for restoring the ceasefire in the Gulf, despite President Donald Trump saying several days earlier that he had turned down the offer, Reuters reported.
The announcement comes as the conflict between the United States and Iran enters its eighth month. Tehran presented its latest proposal last week, calling for Washington to lift its blockade of Iranian ports while Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days.
Trump said Sunday that he had rejected the proposal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, said Tehran had not been given a formal rejection.
An Iranian government spokesperson said Wednesday in a post on social media that Araghchi had since delivered the American response to the Iranian government.
Qatar has been attempting to bridge the gap between the two sides, with its mediators holding separate discussions with American and Iranian representatives in New York last week on the sidelines of a United Nations meeting. The contacts marked the first proximity talks between Washington and Tehran since the previous ceasefire collapsed.
Axios reported Tuesday that the Qatari mediation effort had failed to overcome the differences between the sides, with both Washington and Tehran maintaining their respective positions.
A source involved in the negotiations separately told Channel 13 News that the parties remain a considerable distance from an agreement and that the discussions are increasingly pointing toward renewed confrontation rather than a diplomatic breakthrough.
"The sides are still closer to war than to an agreement," the source said, adding that both sides "have become more rigid."
Trump has repeatedly maintained that the conflict will end soon and that Iran will eventually surrender. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, he said, “I don’t know if they are going to give up yet but they’ll give up," adding, “They are doing very poorly."