NEW YORK: Iran-US talks intensified Tuesday as Tehran set conditions for ending the war, including an end to attacks, release of frozen assets and lifting what it calls a U.S. naval blockade.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran conveyed its conditions to Washington through a Qatari mediator. The demands also included an end to what Iran describes as economic warfare.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said mediators shuttled between American and Iranian delegations throughout Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly.
He described the discussions as lengthy, while accounts differed over whether officials from the two countries met directly. The Iran-US talks have increasingly centred on the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran has linked progress on reopening the strategic waterway to reduced U.S. military pressure and relief from restrictions on Iranian ports.
Iran had already communicated conditions through Qatari mediators before the UN meetings. Those included ending hostilities.
Read: Trump Threatens to Annihilate Iran as UN Peace Talks Continue
Iran said it would release frozen funds and lift the blockade on Iranian ports, according to an interview with Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei.
A senior Iranian official said Tehran could reopen Hormuz within seven days if Washington eased military pressure and lifted restrictions on Iranian ports.
Read: Iran Hormuz Reopening Offer Sets Seven-Day Timeline
The wider diplomatic push has also focused on restoring unrestricted navigation through Hormuz. French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said France and the United States discussed easing Middle East tensions and pressure on energy markets during talks in New York.
No agreement was announced Tuesday, and the status of the U.S. restrictions on Iranian ports remained a central point of dispute.
