Islamabad, Pakistan – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has discussed with regional interlocutors a proposal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz but deferring talks with the US on Tehran’s nuclear programme for later, during a 72-hour diplomatic sprint across three countries seemingly aimed at securing a broader buy-in for the plan.
Araghchi on Monday met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg, after visiting Islamabad twice in two days – the two trips sandwiching a meeting in Muscat, Oman. Sources close to these diplomatic efforts told Al Jazeera that senior intelligence officials from several countries were present at the Muscat talks.
Discussions in Muscat focused on the Strait of Hormuz, regional security guarantees, and the framework for a potential settlement, with nuclear-related issues set aside for a later stage. Iran submitted its latest proposal to end the war with the US to Pakistan, which is transmitting messages between Tehran and Washington after direct talks on April 11 in Islamabad failed to deliver a breakthrough.
The White House has not confirmed the contents of the Iranian proposal. Spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the US “will not negotiate through the press” and would “only make a deal that puts the American people first, never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon”.
But it is unclear whether US President Donald Trump will accept the Iranian proposal to push back nuclear negotiations. Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Trump said Iran already knew what was required. “They cannot have a nuclear weapon. Otherwise, there’s no reason to meet,” he said.
The latest diplomatic efforts are unfolding against a ticking clock. Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, Trump faces a May 1 deadline to obtain congressional authorisation to continue military operations against Iran, now in their ninth week. A fourth bipartisan Senate bid to invoke the resolution was defeated 52-47 on April 15.
During the first of his two visits to Islamabad, Araghchi on Monday met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. He then travelled to Muscat, and returned to Pakistan on Sunday, meeting Munir again before departing for Moscow.
Iranian state media struck a firmer tone. The Fars News Agency said Araghchi had relayed messages through Pakistan outlining Tehran’s red lines on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.
Beyond visits to Pakistan, Oman and Russia, Araghchi held telephone calls with the foreign ministers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France. Qatar’s Prime Minister warned that sea lanes must not become “a bargaining chip or pressure tactic”.
Analysts say Iran’s diplomatic push is a hedging strategy to build regional backing, drawing lessons from the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal. However, Gulf states remain wary of full regional realignment, especially after Iranian attacks during the war.
Several deadlines are now converging: the May 1 War Powers threshold, Trump’s China visit, and the approaching Hajj season. With millions of pilgrims expected in Saudi Arabia in late May, any escalation during that period would be particularly costly.
Source: www.aljazeera.com