May 03, Kathmandu - Seyyed Abbas Araghchi has put forward a fresh proposal to de-escalate the ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran. In a series of urgent consultations, he engaged with officials from countries across Asia and Europe, including Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Russia, South Korea, Japan, France, and Italy.

During separate telephone discussions on Friday and Saturday, Araghchi discussed regional security issues with foreign policy chiefs of the European Union and other nations. According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, he highlighted that US and Israeli military actions have heightened insecurity in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. He asserted that Iran has not initiated any conflict and emphasized Iran’s openness to diplomatic solutions if Washington abandons its hardline stance and threatening rhetoric.

Araghchi also stated that Iran’s armed forces are prepared to face any potential threat and praised regional diplomatic efforts as ‘constructive.’ The move comes after recent escalations, including joint US-Israeli attacks on Iranian-linked targets in various cities in late February, prompting Iran to retaliate with missile and drone strikes.

Although a ceasefire was reached on April 8, subsequent talks in Islamabad between Iran and the US ended without resolution. Iran’s state media reports that the new peace proposal is being advanced through Pakistan as efforts to ease regional tensions continue.