US, Iran expected to hold separate talks with mediators as pressure ramps on Tehran

Qatari mediators are set to hold separate talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in New York on Monday or Tuesday, according to an official briefed on the negotiations. The purpose of these talks is to facilitate an end to the ongoing war. The talks will focus on an amended version of Iran's seven-day proposal, which Iran presented last week at the United Nations General Assembly.

Araqchi is currently in New York, having attended the General Assembly. It remains unclear who will represent the US side in these talks with the mediators. Iran's ISNA news agency confirmed that Araqchi would meet the mediators in the United States on Monday morning, New York time. Both sides will examine the latest proposals and views regarding the current situation, according to ISNA.

The Iranian seven-day plan aims to end all hostilities in Iran and Lebanon, unfreeze billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets, end sanctions on Iranian oil, and lift the US blockade on Iranian ports. Reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming talks on Iran's nuclear program would follow. However, US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran's proposal, citing Tehran's desire for a swift agreement due to the country's economic pressure.

Trump also indicated that he anticipates US negotiators to continue talks this week. Araqchi stated that mediators have not formally communicated a US rejection to Tehran, and Iran awaits Washington's definitive position before deciding its next steps. Araqchi emphasized that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on meeting certain conditions, asserting that only a negotiated solution can resolve the ongoing impasse.