Iran proposes 7-day plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz

Tehran said to seek halt to military operations, sanctions relief and asset unfreeze; White House cites 'positive, constructive' talks through mediators

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday (local time) that he had transmitted a proposal to the United States aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reaching a final agreement.

Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Araghchi said he had proposed a seven-day plan to end hostilities and reopen the strait, according to The New York Times and other outlets.

Araghchi said the proposal, conveyed to Washington through a mediating country, requires the United States to meet certain conditions within seven days. He declined to specify the conditions but said most of them were "at that level" — comparable to what was included in a ceasefire MOU signed by the United States and Iran in June.

That MOU outlined a phased approach under which the strait would be reopened in advance, with Iran's denuclearization to be negotiated during a set truce period.

The provisional ceasefire agreement was signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in July, but collapsed amid armed conflict over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The MOU included provisions on easing sanctions against Iran, unfreezing Iranian assets, and halting military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday that Tehran had transmitted its conditions to the United States through mediator Qatar — an end to the war on all fronts, a halt to acts of aggression, an end to the US maritime blockade of Iran, and the unfreezing of Iranian assets.

A White House official told CNN in response to Araghchi's remarks that the two sides were engaged in "positive and constructive discussions through mediators."

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that the two sides were exploring a phased agreement under which Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the United States lifting its economic blockade of Iranian ports.

The United States and Iran have gone through multiple rounds of negotiations and breakdowns since the war began in February.

The main sticking points have been disagreements over the conditions and sequencing for reopening the strait, and the question of when Iran would be allowed access to its funds frozen by the United States, Bloomberg said.

Iranian President Pezeshkian, who traveled to New York for the UN General Assembly, said in his address that Iran would not allow free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz as long as sanctions and the US maritime blockade remained in place.

Araghchi represented Tehran in the negotiations and presented Iran's "firm position" on reopening the strait, according to Iranian state media.

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