Iran’s top diplomat meets Qatari mediators as US ties nuclear talks to Hormuz deal

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Qatari mediators in New York to discuss a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while a US official said no agreement to end the war is possible unless Tehran’s nuclear programme is addressed. Araghchi said the Qatari mediators would relay ideas to the US and that he hoped for Washington’s final response by Tuesday. The Iranian plan, announced Friday, calls for the US to release frozen funds, lift sanctions, and end its naval blockade within four to five days, with nuclear negotiations to begin by day seven. President Trump rejected the proposal on Saturday, calling it “unacceptable.” The US official described indirect talks as “positive and constructive” but stressed that sanctions relief and frozen funds would only be exchanged for progress on nuclear issues, with sides apart on timing and sequencing. Iran closed the strait, which handled about 20 percent of global oil and gas supplies, after the US-Israel offensive began on February 28.