Iran will show no flexibility over its nuclear program even if the United States accepts its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which calls for steps including the lifting of a US naval blockade on Iranian ports, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday.
Within seven days, hostilities would end on all fronts, including Lebanon, the United States would lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release Iran’s frozen funds and waive its oil sanctions, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday. Under Iran’s proposal, Tehran has offered to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. In a meeting with journalists on Thursday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he hoped a deal with Washington to end the hostilities could be reached before the US midterm elections on November 3.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the waterway would remain closed until “all of Iran’s conditions are met” by the United States. Tehran said it would be prepared to engage in detailed negotiations over its nuclear program only after its conditions are met by the US. But the official said Iran would give no concessions over its rights, including enriching uranium or shipping its highly enriched uranium out of the country, one of the main US demands. Iranian authorities have said that Iran could agree to dilute its most highly enriched uranium.
In May, Reuters reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a directive that the country’s HEU should not be sent abroad, according to two senior Iranian sources.
