Tehran, Oct 5: A senior Iranian diplomat has said that Iran is currently reviewing US views on Tehran’s recent proposal to cease hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi made the remarks in Tehran on Sunday (local time), saying that the United States has submitted its views on Iran’s proposal through mediators.

He stressed that Iran’s proposal is the “seven-day plan” that was presented to the other side by Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in New York late last month.

Gharibabadi said, “The US views are currently being reviewed inside the country through the appropriate channels,” adding that whenever Iran’s final views are ready, the necessary action will be taken through “appropriate channels.”

He added that Iran is simultaneously making the necessary preparations for any other scenario as well, reports Xinhua news agency.

Iran conveyed a proposed seven-day plan to the United States on September 22 to cease hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through mediators on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8. On June 18, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war in the region on all fronts.

Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on August 17, to reach a final agreement. However, the two sides failed to make sufficient progress toward a deal as tensions continued to escalate.

Kathmandu, Oct 5: The Nepali government has decided to call off the search and rescue operations launched following the deadly floods that struck the country on August 26, as hopes of finding survivors have faded, the Prime Minister’s Secretariat said on Monday.

Forty days after floods in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers devastated communities and infrastructure along the river corridors, the government has now prioritised reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts.

The decision was taken based on recommendations from district security committees, district disaster management committees, the Executive Committee of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, and findings from field inspections, the Prime Minister’s Secretariat said.

A total of 1,455 people have been confirmed dead and 5,285 remain missing following the disaster till date, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

The meeting also decided to recommend a budget of NPR 559.18 billion ($3.62 billion) to the Ministry of Finance for 504 plans and programmes aimed at reconstructing and rehabilitating areas affected by the August 26 disaster and other monsoon-related disasters.

According to the Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment (RDNA) report prepared by a joint technical team of the National Planning Commission and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the recent floods are estimated to have caused physical damage worth NPR 274.48 billion, while overall losses and damages have reached NPR 408.28 billion.

The preliminary assessment suggests that more than NPR 723 billion will be required for the reconstruction and recovery of affected infrastructure and assets. Now, the Nepali government has been working on a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment with an extensive assessment of damages.

The council directed the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority to recommend additional budgetary arrangements once details are received for projects whose cost estimates have not yet been determined or which have yet to be prioritised.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah said disaster management efforts had been carried out through coordination among the federal, provincial and local governments, adding that reconstruction and rehabilitation would also proceed through the same mechanism.

The meeting expressed sorrow over the loss of lives and property caused by the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli floods and other monsoon-related disasters. It paid tribute to those who lost their lives and expressed condolences to their bereaved families.

The council also thanked security personnel, elected representatives, civil servants, private-sector organisations, volunteers and media personnel involved in search, rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations, as well as donor countries and development partners that assisted during the crisis.

Tehran, Oct 3: A senior Iranian shipping official has said the country will pursue in international courts the US attack on and seizure of one of its container ships, which took place in April during the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington, the official news agency IRNA reported Saturday.

Mohammad-Reza Modarres Khiabani, CEO of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, made the remarks at a meeting in Tehran while describing as a “war crime” the US forces’ boarding and seizure of the Iranian-flagged vessel Touska off the coast of Iran’s southeastern Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman on April 19, said the report.

He said the ship was carrying medicines related to the Iranian Red Crescent Society and dialysis patients, noting that attacking a commercial ship during the ceasefire constitutes a “war crime and violation of the truce,” Xinhua News Agency reported.

He also said that the imposition of any form of naval blockade violated international law and constituted a “hostile” act, alleging that the US Navy struck Touska’s engine room and took 28 crew members hostage.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump declined to reveal his next move on Iran, saying the situation was “working out very well” and predicting that the conflict would not last long.

Trump made the remarks while speaking to reporters at the White House before departing aboard Marine One.

Asked what his next step regarding Iran would be, Trump initially suggested that disclosing it would make major news.

“That’s very, oh, it’s — well, if I told you, you’d have a major story, right? But you’ll see. Working out very well. Iran is not doing well,” Trump said.

The President did not elaborate on what action his administration was considering or provide a timetable.

But later in the same exchange with reporters, Trump again referred to Iran while discussing global energy supplies and his efforts to get Europe to put more diesel into the market.