Iran has agreed in principle to a mediation framework but rejected the nuclear requirements attached to it, sources told Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar, a Beirut daily aligned with Hezbollah. Tehran insists that nuclear negotiations can begin only after the war ends, the US naval blockade is lifted and the Strait of Hormuz reopens.
The Al-Akhbar report also described a proposed five-day plan under which Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States would lift its blockade in return. Inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities would be permitted during that period.
Other reports describe different timetables. On October 28, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters that Qatari mediators had presented Tehran with a draft on Sunday, setting out a seven-day timeline of daily confidence-building steps for each side. Iran is reportedly seeking a four-day framework.
Israel has a direct stake in the outcome. On October 28, Israel’s N12 reported, citing diplomatic sources, that the window for a deal to head off another war between Iran and both the United States and Israel was closing.
According to the N12 report, Washington has warned that it will strike unless Tehran meets its demands: transferring its highly enriched uranium to the United States, ending all attacks and military operations across the region, including in the Strait of Hormuz, and reopening the waterway.
