Iran is in close contact with mediators on seven-day plan, foreign minister says

Iran is in a "very bad condition, both economically and militarily," Anna Kelly, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday."The blockade will remain in full force and effect, with oil flowing in record numbers of barrels through the Hormuz Strait. The United States will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections,” she said.Iran's foreign minister said on Wednesday that Tehran remained in close contact with intermediaries to discuss ideas for ensuring the implementation of an Iranian proposal aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.Additionally, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran continued to give diplomacy a chance to succeed and raised the possibility the Tehran's seven-day plan could be implemented in less than a week.Araghchi has previously said that under the proposal, the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy shipping channels, could be reopened if certain conditions were met.

US President Donald Trump rejected it, prompting ​further Qatari mediation.Iran expected to respond to Qatar's proposed US-Israel ceasefire deal by week's endQatari mediators presented Iran with a new draft deal on Sunday to end the war with the US and Israel, and Tehran is expected to send a response to the draft by the end of the week, an official briefed on the negotiations said on Wednesday.The new draft being considered by Iran sets a seven-day timeline addressing both Tehran'sand Washington's concerns, laying out daily confidence-building steps that each side must take, the official said.

The timeline could begin early next week, and several countries would act as guarantors of the deal, the official added.Qatar, along with Pakistan, has led mediation to end the war that the US and Israel launched in February. The conflict has disrupted global shipping and oil supplies and spilled over across other parts of the Middle East.