Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks on its nuclear programme within seven days if the United States removes its naval blockade, eases sanctions on Iranian oil sales and agrees to a ceasefire that includes Lebanon.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented the proposal during a private meeting on Thursday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He said the plan was sent to the US through intermediaries.
“We have introduced a plan to the United States through the intermediaries that if certain conditions are met, the Strait of Hormuz would be open on the end of the seventh day and talks would restart,” Araghchi said.
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, who attended the meeting, said Araghchi suggested that a quick agreement could also benefit US President Donald Trump ahead of the November midterm elections.
However, there has been no immediate response from Iran’s UN mission or other Iranian officials confirming the details beyond Araghchi’s public remarks.
The proposal is similar to an earlier agreement reached in June, but the new plan sets a much shorter timetable. The previous arrangement included a 60-day period but later broke down as fighting and attacks on shipping resumed.
Trump has said he is not in a hurry to reach an agreement with Iran. The issue remains important as high oil prices continue to add pressure to inflation and household living costs.
There are also questions inside Iran over whether hard-line elements within the security establishment would accept compromises supported by more moderate figures, including President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Parsi said there is still deep suspicion surrounding the proposal, particularly concerns that Iran could use the arrangement to export more oil and reduce the pressure of sanctions on its economy.
