Iran has yet to receive a response from Saudi Arabia or Yemen's Houthi rebels to its offer to mediate between the two sides, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday, as the war in Yemen continues to fuel regional tensions.
Speaking to Iraq's Al-Ikhbariya television channel, Araghchi said Tehran remained willing to help bridge differences between Riyadh and the Iran-backed Houthis, who have launched repeated attacks on Saudi Arabia.
He claimed that the Houthis' failure to respond to Iran's mediation offer demonstrated the group's independence in making its own decisions, despite longstanding accusations that Tehran provides it with military support.
"Ansar Allah certainly has conditions for ending the conflict with the Saudi side, and Saudi Arabia also has its own conditions that Ansar Allah does not accept," Araghchi said, referring to the Houthis by their official name.
"We must provide assistance and cooperation to bring the two sides' positions closer together," he added.
The Iranian foreign minister also accused Saudi Arabia of imposing an economic blockade on Yemen for more than a decade, claiming the Houthis were now using the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait to exert pressure on Riyadh.
"The Yemeni people now believe they have found an opportunity to break this blockade. They have imposed a blockade on the Saudi side using Bab al-Mandeb," he said.
"What does this have to do with us as Iran?" he asked.
Earlier this month, Yemen's internationally recognised government rejected Tehran's mediation offer, accusing Iran of arming, training and providing military and technical expertise to the Houthis.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba questioned Iran's credibility as a potential mediator, arguing that its alleged military support for the Houthis undermined its stated commitment to ending the conflict.
Iran says US talks continue despite Hormuz dispute
In the same interview, Araghchi addressed ongoing diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington, insisting that negotiations through intermediaries, including Pakistan and Qatar, were continuing.
According to details of the interview carried by Iran's official IRNA news agency, Araghchi said Tehran had previously submitted a proposal known as the "seven-day plan", setting out its conditions for reaching an agreement with the United States.
Under the proposal, the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for global energy supplies, would be fully reopened on the sixth day.
Araghchi claimed Washington had accepted Iran's initial conditions but subsequently sought to introduce additional provisions.
"The Americans informed us of their agreement to these conditions, but they want to add some other clauses," he said.
He insisted that Washington must first honour the terms of a memorandum of understanding previously signed in Islamabad before negotiations could move on to other outstanding issues.
"After they comply with these provisions, we can enter into negotiations on other files," he said, adding that further disputes could be addressed during the final stages of talks.
The Iranian foreign minister also accused the United States of repeatedly undermining diplomacy through military action.
"We entered into three rounds of negotiations with the American side, and each of the previous three rounds ended with war being declared against us," he said.
"We were in the middle of negotiations, and in the end it became clear to us that the Americans cannot be trusted in negotiations."
Despite his criticism, Araghchi insisted that Tehran remained open to a negotiated settlement, provided Washington respected previous understandings.
"The negotiating table remains open," he said, accusing the United States rather than Iran of obstructing diplomatic progress.
He reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until an agreement or understanding was reached on the conditions for reopening it to shipping.
"We have also said that the American side must accept our conditions for opening the strait to vessels," he said.
"Before such an understanding or agreement is reached, the strait will naturally remain closed, and shipping traffic through it and the existing maritime routes will face difficulties."
Araghchi blamed the disruption in the strategic waterway on US and Israeli military attacks against Iran, warning that the situation would continue unless Washington changed its approach.
The Iranian minister maintained that diplomacy remained the best route to resolving the crisis, but insisted that any agreement must begin with the United States honouring its previous commitments.