Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days as part of a new diplomatic proposal aimed at ending nearly seven months of war with the United States and restarting negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly outlined the proposal during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, saying Tehran had delivered the plan to the Trump administration through Qatar.
Under the proposal, Iran would restore normal maritime traffic through the strategically critical waterway within a week if Washington agrees to several conditions, including lifting its naval blockade of Iranian ports, easing restrictions on Iranian oil exports and observing a broader ceasefire.
“The seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan,” Araghchi told reporters Friday.
Araghchi said the initial steps could be completed within four or five days, with the Strait of Hormuz reopening on the sixth day.
“On day seven, the talks with the U.S. will be started for the final deal on mutually agreed subjects,” he said.
Those negotiations would include Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
The proposal could represent one of the most significant diplomatic openings since the U.S.-Iran conflict began nearly seven months ago.
But major differences remain.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran would make no concessions on its nuclear program simply in exchange for accepting the seven-day framework.
The official said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until all of Iran’s conditions were satisfied.
Those conditions reportedly include lifting the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, granting waivers allowing Iranian oil exports, releasing frozen Iranian funds and halting hostilities on multiple fronts, including Lebanon.
The Strait of Hormuz has become Iran’s most important source of leverage during the conflict.
Before the war, roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas moved through the narrow waterway separating Iran from Oman.
Disruptions to commercial shipping have contributed to higher global energy prices and increased pressure on economies heavily dependent on Persian Gulf oil.
Iran first signaled earlier this week that it was prepared to reopen the strait quickly if the United States reduced military pressure and lifted its blockade.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday that the waterway could be reopened within seven days if Washington demonstrated that it was serious about resolving the conflict diplomatically.
Araghchi’s announcement provided substantially more detail about how Tehran believes such an agreement could work.
The proposal resembles an interim agreement reached between Washington and Tehran in June.
That arrangement envisioned a 60-day negotiating period and provided for freer shipping through Hormuz while the two governments worked toward a broader settlement.
It quickly collapsed after Iran resumed attacks on shipping.
That history has contributed to skepticism in Washington and among some Persian Gulf governments over whether another temporary agreement would produce a lasting reopening of the waterway.
The latest negotiations have nevertheless produced signs of renewed diplomatic activity.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with Qatar’s prime minister Friday, while Iranian and American officials have exchanged messages through mediators during the U.N. gathering.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington remained willing to exchange ideas and messages if an opportunity existed.
The White House has publicly described the indirect discussions as “positive and constructive,” while emphasizing that the United States believes it is negotiating from a strong position.
President Donald Trump, however, has reportedly rejected Iran’s proposal in its current form.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump told advisers he was unwilling to accept the seven-day plan and expected military operations against Iran could intensify following the November midterm elections.
Reuters reported Saturday that Tehran was still waiting for an official response from Washington despite those reports.
Iranian officials indicated that they had not been formally informed that the proposal had been rejected.
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