Iran says indirect US ceasefire talks continue over seven-day proposal

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on October 21 that indirect talks with the United States were continuing through mediators over Tehran’s seven-day ceasefire proposal, according to CBS News. He said Washington wanted additional clauses in a plan that President Donald Trump rejected last month. No agreement was announced.

Pakistan and Qatar are among the countries facilitating the contacts, CBS News reported. Araghchi said the negotiating table remained in place. The account describes talks through intermediaries; the United States has not confirmed the status of the discussions or specified the changes it wants to the proposal.

What Iran’s ceasefire proposal covers

The status of the discussions is contested in the public statements. Reuters reported that Iranian officials told Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, during meetings in Tehran on October 20 that there would be no talks with Washington until Iran’s demands were met. Reuters attributed that account to Iranian media and readouts of the meetings. Araghchi’s subsequent description concerned indirect negotiations through mediators; neither account establishes that direct US-Iran talks have begun.

According to Reuters, the demands raised in those meetings included ending the US blockade of Iranian ports, lifting sanctions on oil exports and ending hostilities across regional fronts. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Washington would have to meet seven conditions set by Tehran before it could regain Iran’s trust, Reuters reported. Pakistan has acted as an intermediary between the two countries.

Nuclear dispute remains a barrier

Al Jazeera reported on October 21 that Iran’s nuclear programme had again become a central obstacle to a ceasefire. Tehran maintains that uranium enrichment is a right under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while Trump has called for zero enrichment. The dispute adds a separate issue to negotiations already involving the blockade, sanctions and regional fighting.

Reuters reported that Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei told Munir Iran’s enriched nuclear material would remain in the country. US Vice President JD Vance said earlier this month that Iran must meaningfully reduce its enrichment capacity to meet US demands, according to Reuters. Western governments have accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, citing enrichment to 60%; Iran denies seeking them.