Tehran reviews Washington's comments on the "seven-day plan"

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Iran announced, on Sunday, that it is studying American comments on its latest proposal known as the “Seven-Day Plan,” in the latest indication of the continuation of indirect contacts between Tehran and Washington, despite the remaining fundamental differences between the two parties.

Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said that the proposal, which was explained by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi while he was in New York, was sent to the United States through mediators, and that the American side submitted its observations on the plan.

He added, according to the Iranian Radio and Television Agency, that the American observations are currently being studied through internal channels in Iran, and that Tehran’s final position will be announced “through the appropriate channels” after the review is completed.

At the same time, Gharibabadi stressed that Iran maintains its readiness for “other scenarios,” without providing additional details regarding their nature.

In late September, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York, Araghchi presented a seven-day road map to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and then move to broader negotiations with Washington.

Under the proposal, the deadline begins as soon as the United States accepts the plan, with Washington implementing a series of steps during the first four or five days, before reopening the Strait of Hormuz on the sixth day and starting negotiations on a final agreement on the seventh day.

Iranian demands include lifting the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, easing sanctions on oil exports, and releasing frozen Iranian assets, in addition to a cessation of hostilities that includes regional arenas. In return, Tehran reopens the Strait of Hormuz and moves to broader negotiations that address, among other issues, its nuclear program.

Contacts between the two sides intensified during the United Nations meetings, as Qatar played a role in conveying messages and proposals. Araqchi said at the time that the talks had become more serious, but stressed that there was no change in Tehran's conditions for reopening the Strait.

In a later development, the Associated Press reported that Tehran received an official American response to its proposal, without revealing its details, while the mediators continued to try to narrow the gap between the two parties.

One of the main points of disagreement centers on the order of steps for any agreement. While Iran is pushing for a gradual implementation that begins with American measures and then reopening the Strait of Hormuz before moving on to more comprehensive negotiations, Washington is seeking a broader agreement that addresses the outstanding issues, most notably the Iranian nuclear program.

Tehran's announcement of studying US observations means that the diplomatic path is still open, without indicating yet that Iran has accepted a response or that an agreement is close to being reached, especially with Iranian officials confirming in parallel that they are still preparing for other options.