US and Iranian officials have held separate indirect talks with mediators as diplomatic efforts intensify to end seven months of war, with Tehran pressing Washington for a response to its revised ceasefire framework.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Qatari mediators in New York on Monday, where he remained after the United Nations General Assembly. He said he expected a response from Washington by Tuesday.
“We talked about ideas and how to find solutions to fulfil Iran’s conditions,” Araghchi said, adding that he planned to return to Tehran once a response arrives.
“Whenever the Qataris have a response, they know how to get it to us,” he added.
Iran’s proposal, first presented on the sidelines of last week’s General Assembly, gives the US four to five days to release frozen Iranian funds, lift sanctions on Iranian oil and end the naval blockade of Iranian ports.
The framework also calls for nuclear talks to begin within seven days, while Tehran has linked any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to the implementation of those measures.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday described the proposal as “unacceptable” and rejected it, saying Iran was seeking a swift deal because of the economic pressure it faces.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump confirmed that US officials had separately spoken with mediators but provided no further details.
“We’re going to win. It’s going to go pretty quickly,” Trump said.
The renewed diplomatic activity comes as physical supply data indicates that the impact of the war on the oil market is beginning to ease.
Middle Eastern crude exports rebounded this month to around their highest level since the war began in February, according to Kpler data.
“Middle East crude exports at just under 80% of pre-conflict levels,” the tracking firm said in a note on Monday.
However, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains well below pre-war levels. Kpler’s real-time tracking showed total clearance through the strait at 10,591 kilobarrels a day on Saturday, compared with a pre-war baseline of 17,133 kilobarrels a day.
The unresolved conflict is also affecting US fuel markets, with retail diesel prices hovering near a record high of $6.53 per gallon.
The Trump administration is again considering an export ban on diesel, days after distancing itself from an earlier version of the proposal.
Kpler estimates that such a move could keep roughly 1.2 million barrels of diesel a day in the US market, potentially putting additional pressure on domestic storage.
Boluwatife Enome
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