On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran remains open to diplomacy after President Donald Trump reportedly rejected an Iranian proposal tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
US Stock Futures Fall As Oil Prices Rise; Asian Markets Mixed
Dow futures fell 157 points, or 0.30%, to 52,006.00, while S&P 500 futures declined 16.75 points, or 0.21%, to 7,787.00. Nasdaq 100 futures fell 79.50 points, or 0.26%, to 30,809.75 as of around 9:40 p.m. EDT.
In commodities, WTI crude oil rose 1.10% to $93.43 per barrel, while Brent crude gained 1.51% to $105.90 per barrel. Natural gas futures fell 4.29% to $3.059 per MMBtu.
Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of currencies, stood at 101.034, down 0.21% at the time of writing.
Asian markets traded lower, with South Korea’s KOSPI falling 1.69% to 6,961.40, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.27% to 66,544.49.
Iran Warns It Is Ready for ‘Doomsday War’
Araghchi told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday that Iran was prepared for fighting to resume but had not abandoned negotiations.
“We are fully prepared for the time for the war to be resumed,” Araghchi said, adding that Tehran would stand firm against any “new aggression,” even if it became a “doomsday war.”
At the same time, he said Iran remained willing to negotiate, putting the choice on Trump.
“President Pezeshkian and I did not come to New York to sell a war. We came to forge peace,” Araghchi later said in a post on X.
Earlier, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that Tehran remains willing to negotiate over its nuclear program and other issues. However, it would not agree to talks conducted through “bullying or coercion.”
Trump Rejects Iran’s Strait of Hormuz Proposal
Iran had proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restoring normal maritime traffic within seven days as part of a broader agreement to end the conflict and restart negotiations.
Tehran has said it wants its frozen assets released and the ability to resume oil sales in return for reopening the strategic waterway.
Trump rejected the proposal Saturday, telling reporters that Iran wanted to reopen the strait because it was “losing so badly.”
However, Araghchi said Iran had not yet received an official rejection through diplomatic mediators.
US Pushes Back On Iran’s Demands
Earlier in the day, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said Washington could not accept Iran gaining access to billions of dollars in frozen assets.
During an appearance on “Meet the Press,” Waltz characterized Tehran’s proposal as a “cynical attempt” and questioned whether Iran was negotiating in good faith.
Despite the rejection, Trump said Sunday that further indirect talks with Iran were expected this week.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock/ A.PAES
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