Iranian officials announced on Wednesday that they have received an official response from the United States regarding Tehran’s latest proposal aimed at ending the ongoing seven-month war. This news comes shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly dismissed the proposal merely days prior.
The Iranian authorities have not disclosed the contents of the U.S. response, leaving it unclear whether it constitutes a rejection or an acceptance of the terms proposed by Tehran.
During a Cabinet meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented the U.S. response to President Masoud Pezeshkian, as reported by government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani to the state-run IRNA news agency. Pezeshkian emphasized, “We will make every effort to bring the agreement to fruition and will firmly stand up for the rights of the Iranian people. The agreement must now be based on a win-win strategy.”
This Cabinet meeting followed Araghchi’s recent trip to New York, where he attended the U.N. General Assembly. While in New York, Iranian officials engaged in indirect discussions with U.S. representatives and also met with mediators from Qatar and Pakistan on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders.
During the meeting, Araghchi briefed the Cabinet on Iran’s conditions for reopening the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz. These conditions, according to Mohajerani, had been communicated through mediators. Last week, Araghchi proposed that the strait could be reopened within a week if the U.S. agreed to lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian assets, and waive sanctions on Iranian oil sales, among other stipulations.
However, Trump swiftly rejected this proposal, asserting that Iran was seeking a deal due to its deteriorating situation and that the offer was “not acceptable.” Despite this public dismissal, mediators are reportedly continuing their efforts to facilitate a deal between Iran and the United States to end the conflict and reopen the strait.
In parallel, the Trump administration is intensifying its economic warfare against Tehran, as the likelihood of an agreement between the two sides remains uncertain. On Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting individuals and companies worldwide, which it accuses of facilitating Iran’s military supply chain.
The latest sanctions are part of the administration’s “Operation Economic Outcast” campaign, aimed at severing what it describes as “critical financial lifelines” for the heavily sanctioned Iranian government. Ten individuals and entities based in Iran, Hong Kong, and Pakistan are now facing sanctions for allegedly procuring weapons and components for Iran’s defense ministry amid its ongoing conflict with the U.S.
As the war continues, Iran’s economy is experiencing significant strain. The Iranian rial has fallen to a record low, with traders in Tehran exchanging more than 2.5 million rials for one U.S. dollar, highlighting the economic turmoil exacerbated by the conflict. This latest decline follows just 27 days after the rial hit a previous record low of 2.2 million rials per dollar on September 2. Since the onset of the war in February, the currency has steadily deteriorated.
Trump remarked on Tuesday that Iran is “failing very badly, very badly,” and he predicts that the war will conclude “very, very soon.” Initially, he had anticipated that the conflict would last only weeks, but more recently, he suggested it might extend beyond the November 3 midterm elections in the United States.
In a related development, Iranian authorities executed two men on Wednesday for their involvement in violent protests that erupted in January. The state-run IRNA news agency reported that these individuals participated in unrest in the northeastern city of Mashhad, which resulted in the deaths of four security personnel earlier this year. Their death sentences had been upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court prior to their execution.
The protests, which began on December 28, were fueled by anger over Iran’s declining currency and worsening economic conditions. They quickly escalated into widespread demonstrations, with many calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. Iranian authorities responded with a violent crackdown, leading to numerous casualties. Rights groups report that thousands were killed and tens of thousands arrested, while Iranian officials have provided a significantly lower death toll.
