Tehran, Sep 28 (V7N)- Iran has reiterated that diplomacy is the only way to resolve the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel, while linking any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to conditions set by Tehran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the remarks on Sunday after US President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal aimed at reopening the strategic waterway and ending the fighting.

“Our conditions are clear,” Araghchi said in a social media post, adding that any move to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would depend on those conditions being met. He said only a negotiated solution could break the current deadlock.

Iran had presented its proposal during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Iranian officials said the proposal was conveyed to Washington through mediators.

Trump said on Saturday that he had rejected the proposal, arguing that Tehran wanted the Strait reopened quickly while facing severe pressure in the war. However, on Sunday he told Axios that he expected US negotiators to hold further talks with Iran during the week.

Araghchi said Iranian authorities were still waiting for mediators to formally convey Washington's position. He said Tehran would decide its next steps after receiving the US response through the mediators.

Iran's proposal reportedly calls for the easing of US military pressure and the lifting of restrictions on Iranian ports in return for steps toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters previously reported that Tehran had indicated it could reopen the waterway within a week if those conditions were met.

The conflict has sharply reduced shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important routes for oil and energy shipments. Washington has imposed economic restrictions on Iran as part of its pressure campaign, while Trump has repeatedly said the United States controls the waterway.

Iranian Army Commander Amir Hatami said the conflict had reached a critical stage. He said Tehran would not accept a situation in which foreign powers continued using the region's strategic waterways while Iran was unable to conduct normal trade.

“If Iran cannot trade and survive normally, then no one else can trade or survive,” Hatami said in remarks carried by Iranian state media.

END/SMA/AJ