Iran has signaled again that it is ready to resume diplomatic talks with the United States despite the ongoing conflict between the two countries. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that diplomacy should not be seen as a retreat, but as a means of converting military force into political results.
“Diplomacy is not capitulation“, Ghalibaf said, stressing that the talks can be used to protect the country's interests. His statement comes amid heightened diplomatic activity around the UN General Assembly in New York.
The signal from Tehran has now been backed up by a concrete proposal. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that the country is ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping within days if Washington lifts its blockade of Iranian ports and reduces military pressure.
According to the source, the Iranian delegation in New York has full authority to work to resume negotiations with the United States. Tehran has already sent a new proposal to Washington through intermediaries.
The Iranian side insists that the United States officially declare that it wants a diplomatic solution to the conflict, after which a schedule for subsequent negotiations can be agreed.
Despite the new diplomatic move, no direct meeting is currently planned between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump. However, the two are participating in the UN General Assembly in New York.
Pezeshkian is arriving in the United States with the intention of presenting Tehran's position to the international community. Before leaving, he said Iran would firmly defend its positions in international forums. The Iranian president is due to address the General Assembly on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is already in New York, where he is expected to hold a series of bilateral talks with foreign ministers and other senior officials.
The new diplomatic signal comes at a time when the Strait of Hormuz has become one of the main centers of the conflict. Before the war, about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through it, and shipping disruptions have put serious pressure on international energy markets.
Against this backdrop, Tehran is apparently trying to use the restoration of free navigation as part of a possible broader agreement with Washington. However, no agreement has been reached so far, and the two sides' positions on the terms of ending the conflict remain significantly different.