TEHRAN, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that his country will in the coming days submit its response to the U.S. views on its proposed plan to end the war, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Speaking on the sidelines of a funeral ceremony in Tehran, Araghchi said that the negotiations are continuing and that Tehran and Washington are exchanging messages through mediators.
He said Iran has received the U.S. views on its seven-day plan and is "currently reviewing" them.
Iran conveyed its plan to the United States to cease hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Sept. 22 through mediators on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Under the plan, Tehran proposed ending the war and reopening the waterway within seven days, provided that the United States accepted its conditions. Iranian authorities have repeatedly said that ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz are the sole focus of the ongoing diplomatic process.
However, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said in a Monday interview with Reuters that "Iran must make a meaningful reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity to satisfy U.S. demands and end the war."
On Thursday, Mohammad Eslami, president of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, responded that uranium enrichment is an "inseparable" part of the nuclear industry, and Tehran will not back down despite U.S. threats and military operations, according to Tasnim.
Eslami said that Iran's nuclear program is in compliance with its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8. On June 18, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war on all fronts.
Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on Aug. 17, to reach a final agreement. However, the two sides failed to make sufficient progress as tensions continued to escalate. ■
