TEHRAN, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Sunday the country has conveyed its positions through the Qatari mediator regarding the U.S. response to its proposed plan to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran conveyed a proposed seven-day plan to the United States on Sept. 22 to cease hostilities and reopen the waterway to the United States, through mediators on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
"We conveyed our positions to the mediator during the brief stopover we made in Doha on our way back (from New York)," Baghaei said at a weekly press conference in Tehran. "The Americans' proposals are more or less in line with their previous positions, and specifically concern the nuclear issues."
He stressed that Iran has explicitly said its current focus is the Strait of Hormuz, noting that restoring security there requires Washington to take certain steps, including ceasing disruptions to Iran's commercial shipping, lifting sanctions, and ending other meddlesome actions.
"We will conduct the necessary reviews regarding certain details (of the U.S. proposals) and convey our additional points to the other party," Baghaei added.
Also at the press conference, Baghaei said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) released a number of Iranian nationals imprisoned in the Arab state the night before.
He appreciated the UAE officials' cooperation in that regard, though he did not specify the number of inmates released or their charges.
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 in the region 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 toward a deal as tensions continued to escalate. ■
