Iran proposes reopening Strait of Hormuz within seven days
"If certain conditions are met, the Strait of Hormuz would be open on the end of the seventh day and talks would restart," Abbas Araghchi told several foreign media outlets, including The New York Times and The Guardian.
A vessel crosses the Strait of Hormuz / ATTA KENARE
Iran presented a proposal to the United States to reopen the Strait of Hormuz—a strategic sea lane at the epicenter of the conflict between the two countries—within seven days, its foreign minister told several foreign media outlets.
Abbas Araghchi, who traveled to New York for the U.N. General Assembly, conveyed Iran's conditions for reopening the strait—where maritime traffic has been severely disrupted since the start of the war in the Middle East—to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday.
"If certain conditions are met, the Strait of Hormuz would be open on the end of the seventh day and talks would restart," Abbas Araghchi told several media outlets, including The New York Times and The Guardian.
On Tuesday, the Japanese news agency Kyodo, citing a senior Iranian official, was the first to report on such a proposal from Tehran. However, Iranian media denied it, and so far, no official statement has been issued to clarify Tehran's position.
Seven conditions to end the war
Iran claims to have presented seven conditions to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Araghchi, as quoted by The New York Times, the proposal lists the following conditions: a seven-day ceasefire of all hostilities in the Middle East, including in Lebanon; the unfreezing of frozen Iranian assets, estimated at at least $12 billion; the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil and an end to the U.S. naval blockade against Iran.
On the seventh and final day, Iran would then reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Abbas Araghchi says he is awaiting a response from Washington and asserts that China, whose president is currently on an official visit to the United States, supports this proposal.
In an exclusive interview with AFP on Tuesday, Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Hossein Mohebi also mentioned the end of hostilities in Yemen among Iran's conditions.
A memorandum of understanding with no end date
However, the text was subject to differing interpretations by both sides, leading to the resumption of hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran requires ships wishing to pass through the strait to obtain authorization from it, citing security and sovereignty concerns. Ships that do not comply with this requirement are regularly attacked, while the United States sporadically bombs the Iranian coastline.
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