Iran seeks US response to seven conditions for ceasefire
Tehran is waiting for Washington to respond to terms to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the current stalemate, according to Al Jazeera.
Iran is determined to move beyond the current state of "no war and no peace" with the United States, according to Al Jazeera. Parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran is waiting for a response from Washington regarding its terms to agree a ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Ghalibaf stated that the ball is now in the American court. He noted that the seven conditions for a ceasefire and the reopening of the waterway were part of a memorandum of understanding reached with the US in Islamabad in June.
The conditions include ending hostilities on all fronts, lifting the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, sanctions relief, releasing frozen Iranian funds, and a formal declaration that the war is over. Ghalibaf said these must be implemented before Iran re-enters negotiations through a Qatari mediator.
US President Donald Trump has chosen to increase economic pressure by tightening sanctions and maintaining a blockade on Iranian ports. Trump also announced an operation to cut off overland routes used by Iran to transport technology and advanced weapons.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the demands from Iran as "unacceptable". However, Trump said there was "momentum towards the end of this conflict" after hosting Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani at the White House.
Shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, with Kpler recording no commodity vessel crossings on Sunday, November 8. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said a massive explosion on Wednesday night brought two supertankers carrying more than four million barrels of oil to a standstill.