Iran’s offer to the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days is still on the table, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Iranian media outlets on Sunday.

Iran submitted their proposal in mid-September after an interim ceasefire crumbled. Tehran later confirmed it had received a US response but Iran’s security director stated last week the negotiations were halted because Washington had failed to meet all seven conditions for reopening the strait.Our position is clear and is based on the seven-days plan that we made to the US. “We are studying the remarks made by them, but our offer is still on the table and if there is any honesty on the part of the US, which there isn’t, the way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is obvious,” Araqchi said while in ​Baghdad for a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Iran’s demands include the easing of the US blockade on its ports, lifting of US restrictions on its oil exports and ending hostilities on all regional fronts, among other conditions.

If Washington meets Tehran’s criteria, the strait may reopen within six days and discussions could resume the following day, Araqchi added.

A key area of contention has been Washington’s insistence on confronting Iran’s nuclear program right away.

Earlier this month, US Vise President JD Vance said Iran had to scale back its uranium enrichment capabilities in a “meaningful” way to meet US demands and end the countries’ eight-month battle.

The talks should first focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war carried nearly a quarter of the global commerce in oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), and restoring security in the waterway, Tehran believes.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called upon political leaders to desist from politicising the battle against terrorism stating Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman can help end the emergency.

“The country’s top priority still is to eliminate terrorism, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the menace continues to pose a serious challenge,” Bilawal said while talking to party members in Karachi on the 19th anniversary of the Karsaz tragedy.

He highlighted that dealing with terrorism must be a serious and effective step and the problem should not become a cause of political debate.

Bilawal remarked that members of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s party had also died in terrorist strikes, and added that he hoped the JUI-F president would openly condemn the terrorist groups.

Also Read: Bilawal Bhutto says terrorism, violence cannot dent resolve for democracy

“Fight against terrorism should not be turned into a political dispute,” Bilawal said, demanding clear and effective stand against the menace.

Talking about the situation that forced the emergency, the PPP Chairman stated that the chief minister of one province was not ready to face the terrorists and the authorities had no option but to impose the emergency step.

He urged political leaders to focus on fighting terrorism, not the politicisation of counterterrorism.

The JUI-F chief can play a constructive role in attempts to end the emergency, Bilawal remarked.

The dollar rose from near its lowest levels of the month at the start of trading in Asia on Monday, as violent protests in France put pressure on the euro.

The euro was 0.1% down at $1.1225 at the start of Asian trading. The dollar index was most heavily weighted toward the common currency and its decline helped calm the greenback, which was trading flat at 101.83.

French President Emmanuel Macron criticised “shocking” displays of violence on the fringes of protests over the cost of living in a televised speech to the country on Sunday, a day after France had one of its worst days of unrest in years.‘The weekend disturbance does matter for the euro mostly through French bonds rather than directly,’ Kieran Williams, head of Asia FX at InTouch Capital Markets in London, said.
Bank ​of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Monday underlying inflation is “quite close” to the central bank’s 2% objective, with the US dollar unchanged at 158.00 yen on the yen.

The U.S. dollar was unchanged at 6.6842 yuan in offshore trade ahead of the announcement of Chinese third-quarter GDP statistics. China’s economy likely improved marginally in the time from a more-than three-year low.

A lot of attention in emerging market Asia will be on the Indonesian rupiah, after a ‎threat from ⁠MSCI to downgrade the nation’s stock market to “standalone” status last week sent shares into an 11.6% plunge. The rupiah closed at 18,000 versus the dollar on Friday, its lowest in nearly three months.

The Australian dollar was 0.3% higher at $0.6965 and the kiwi was steady at $0.5656. The British pound stayed steady at $1.3329.

Oil prices fell when Asian trade began on Monday, with Brent oil futures down 1.7% at $108.02, after US President Donald Trump waived sanctions and tariffs on Russia that may lead to additional Russian fuel shipments.