US, Iran separately talk with mediators in latest bid to end war

U.S. and Iranian officials spoke separately with mediators on Monday as part of a renewed effort to end seven months of war, according to officials of both countries. Any further talks are expected to focus on an amended version of a seven-day proposal that Iran presented last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters. The war began in late February with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, killing thousands of people over seven months and shocking global markets as vital waterways for oil remained choked. The U.S. and Iran have twice previously agreed to ceasefires in mediated peace talks, in April and June. Those agreements quickly unraveled. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who remained in New York after attending the General Assembly, said Iran expected to receive the U.S. response to its latest ceasefire proposals and its conditions for restoring passage of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, according to state news agency IRNA. "If the Americans claim they are seeking an agreement or a peaceful solut