World

Iran Urges Faster Implementation of Seven‑Step Ceasefire Plan

By Al Jazeera Staff

Iran says it is ready to accelerate the seven‑step ceasefire plan it presented to the United States last month, stating that the proposal could now be implemented within two days instead of the originally planned seven days. The plan includes a rapid reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a return to talks on Iran’s nuclear programme. Tehran is continuing negotiations with Qatari mediators in an effort to find a diplomatic solution to the eight‑month conflict. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the offer remains on the table and that if Iran’s demands are met, security could be restored to the Strait of Hormuz and negotiations could begin quickly, depending on how the American side chooses to proceed. Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has reportedly granted the government authority to accelerate talks with the United States to end the regional war, according to the state IRNA news agency. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that Tehran is prepared for both diplomacy and military confrontation as Qatar and Pakistan continue to facilitate indirect talks. Araghchi told IRNA in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, that accepting the conditions would open the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations; otherwise, the current situation would persist and Iran would not bow down. Iran’s conditions include lifting the naval blockade of its ports, repealing sanctions, a guarantee of an end to strikes, and a complete regional ceasefire, especially in Lebanon. Baghaei did not indicate that Tehran had changed its demands or that Washington had accepted the proposal. President Donald Trump said the war on Iran would end “very soon one way or the other,” telling the Right Side Broadcasting Network on Sunday that Tehran would either make a deal or the United States would end it.