Iran official submits plan for peace with U.S., visits Russia

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi over the weekend said he proposed a framework for the end of the Iran war during his visit to Pakistan. He hadn’t yet seen whether the United States was serious about diplomacy, he said.

The new peace proposal stated that Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the United States lifted its blockade on Iranian ports and agreed to end the war, the Associated Press reported on Monday. The news agency cited two anonymous officials with knowledge of the closed-door talks between Iran and Pakistan, and reported that Pakistan passed the proposal on to the U.S. government. Iran asked to hold discussions on the future of its nuclear program later, according to the officials.

What happened to the planned peace talks in Pakistan? U.S. negotiators were originally scheduled to take part in indirect talks with Iran in Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad, but President Donald Trump canceled the trip due to what he characterized as infighting and confusion in Iran’s leadership. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over the weekend said his country would continue facilitating indirect peace talks.

The news of the proposal came as Iran’s Araghchi arrived in Russia on Monday for a diplomatic visit, following stops in Pakistan and Oman. Araghchi on Sunday said that he discussed management of the Strait of Hormuz with Omani leaders and that neighboring countries were Iran’s priority.

Dig deeper: Read Travis K. Kircher’s report on Trump’s decision to cancel the U.S. trip to Islamabad.