Play store
Gulf states are working on a multi-pronged peace deal aimed at preventing a renewed war between Iran and the United States, with plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within four days of sanctions being lifted and secure the withdrawal of substantial Houthi forces from parts of Yemen.
The United States is aware of progress in the talks but is seeking further concessions from Iran. European powers believe these could include allowing United Nations weapons inspectors to return to the country and visit its bombed nuclear sites.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband urged Iran to readmit UN weapons inspectors during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New York. Tehran has so far refused, saying it is willing to hold only preliminary talks on its nuclear programme.
European diplomats believe allowing inspectors back into Iran would be a minimum requirement for a breakthrough with US President Donald Trump.
Iran, however, remains focused on securing guarantees of sanctions relief in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Dr Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, said Tehran was willing to shorten its proposed timeline for reopening the strait from seven days after the lifting of economic sanctions to four days.
In another sign of flexibility, Iran is beginning to acknowledge its role in mediating the parallel conflict in Yemen. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, met Houthi ambassador to Iran Ibrahim al-Dulaimi on Tuesday.
The meeting came a day after a high-level delegation from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan travelled to Tehran to discuss Saudi terms for ending the Yemen conflict and a longer-term regional security framework.
Iran backs the Houthis and has considerable influence over the group, including the ability to help formulate proposals that stop short of a Houthi military victory, which many consider unattainable. The Houthis, in return, are demanding that Saudi Arabia lift what they describe as a naval and air blockade on territory under their control.
Iran successfully kept its nuclear programme off the agenda during the meeting with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, instead focusing discussions on a broader regional security vision involving Iran and the Gulf states, alongside a reduced or ended US military presence in the Middle East.
A new non-aggression pact that would end Iran’s isolation from other Gulf states, which has persisted since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, would fulfil one of Tehran’s key strategic objectives.
An agreement among the six Gulf states to pursue this inclusive security framework could also make it easier for Iran to accept potentially difficult concessions on its nuclear programme.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, a prominent advocate of the inclusive security plan, said he believed the US administration understood that the region was moving in this direction.
“I think if Iran is fully re-engaged in this idea of having all of us, eight countries at peace with the rest of the world, the economic potential is going to be enormous for all of us in the region and those outside the region who choose to take part in this development,” he said.
Albusaidi added that the idea had been discussed extensively during talks between Iran and the United States and that there was general acceptance of this direction once an agreement was reached.
Speaking at a televised event in Iran this week, Araghchi also underscored the importance of a postwar security pact.
“Recently, there has been talk of a new war but I am already thinking about the postwar period. Whether there is war or not, our policies remain the same,” he said.