Iran says it sent conditions to US as Trump remains undecided, Rezaei says

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said on Tuesday that Iran has conveyed its conditions to the United States but that President Donald Trump is unable to make a decision. Speaking at a meeting in Tehran with Shahin Mustafayev, Azerbaijan's deputy prime minister, Rezaei said, "Trump is caught in a quagmire where he can neither negotiate nor fight," according to a Press TV report on the meeting. He added that "Iran's conditions have been conveyed to the United States, but Trump is unable to make a decision, and the United States, out of desperation, has resorted to an air siege in the military war."

Rezaei described the US and Israeli attack on Iran as "against all international laws," referring to an unprovoked aggression that began on February 28. He said Iran "powerfully defended itself," citing hundreds of drone and missile operations launched by Iranian armed forces against US and Israeli assets across the region since the start of the war. His remarks came as Tehran awaits Washington's official response to an Iranian seven-point proposal conveyed to the US through Qatari mediation.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran's position on its nuclear program has not changed, while the proposal focuses on conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi called Iran's conditions "fair and reasonable" and said Tehran had presented a clear proposal to the United States and the international community. "Our proposal, which has become known as the seven-point plan, was conveyed to the Americans through a Qatari mediator," Araghchi said on Tuesday before departing New York for Tehran, adding that Iran was waiting for an official US response through the mediators. In response to the aggression, Iran has imposed restrictions over the Strait of Hormuz, a global energy chokepoint. Tehran had agreed to lift restrictions under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed between Tehran and Washington on June 17. However, the US violated its commitments under the MoU, causing more rounds of war and the collapse of the understanding.

During the meeting with the Azerbaijani official, Rezaei also said foreign powers had come and gone throughout history, while Iran and the countries of the region had remained. He said Iran was ready to help establish peace in the Caucasus, but noted that the United States had no future in the region. "Iran is ready to help establish peace in the Caucasus, but America has no future in the region and Iran is standing against it with power," Rezaei said. The meeting also addressed relations between Iran and Azerbaijan. Mustafayev hailed "friendly and brotherly" relations between the two countries and denied speculation that Azerbaijan had allowed its territory to be used against Iran, according to Mehr News.