Iran Proposes 7-Day Plan To Reopen Strait Of Hormuz As Talks With U.S. Gain Momentum
Iranian officials have proposed a seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, seeking a broader agreement with the United States ahead of the November midterm elections.
The proposal was presented to U.S. mediators this week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Under the terms of the offer, the strategic waterway would reopen at the end of a seven-day window if certain conditions are met, allowing both nations to restart broader diplomatic negotiations.
“If certain conditions are met, the strait will be open within seven days and talks will start,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters.
A U.S. official confirmed that Washington is engaged in “positive and constructive” discussions with Iran following the proposal, but noted that American negotiators are not in a rush to finalize terms. The official cited a strong U.S. tactical position, noting that nearly 40 million barrels of oil have moved through the Strait of Hormuz under American naval escort over the past 48 hours.
The outline of Iran’s latest proposal draws heavily on a 14-point memorandum of understanding signed by President Donald Trump in June. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, both involved in earlier negotiations in Islamabad, have held meetings with Iranian officials during the U.N. gathering. U.S. officials and Trump have described those sessions as positive, though they have not released specific details of the conversations.
President Donald J. Trump
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that Tehran is actively seeking an agreement before the U.S. midterms. The statement followed remarks from Trump suggesting Iran would wait until after the elections to complete a deal.
News of the diplomatic push prompted a brief shift in energy markets on Friday. Brent crude dropped roughly 2.5% to around $103 per barrel, while major U.S. stock indices opened higher. Market analysts remained cautious about the timeline, citing unchanged core demands from Tehran, which include sanctions relief, lifted restrictions on petroleum exports, and access to frozen funds abroad.
At the same time, the administration has increased pressure on third-party nations regarding their ties to Tehran. While showing Chinese President Xi Jinping around the National Archives in Washington on Friday, Trump confirmed the two leaders discussed the conflict. When asked about potential progress on reopening the strait, Trump said, “I think we’re going to do great.”
CENTCOM
Earlier in the day, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue stated that Washington has warned Beijing against providing military, intelligence, or economic assistance to Tehran.
“We made it very clear to them weeks ago that any help that they would give Iran, whether it be direct or indirect, whether it be intelligence or parts or military equipment, was totally unacceptable,” Perdue told CNBC, adding that while Washington suspects indirect support from Beijing, “there’s no direct evidence.”
The diplomatic activity in New York has also involved indirect regional mediation through Qatar, as well as separate talks between Araghchi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Meanwhile, scrutiny over the war’s initial operations continues in Washington, where reports surfaced that an early, deadly Iranian drone strike on U.S. forces at a Kuwaiti port occurred after a local commander declined recommendations to reposition the unit to western Saudi Arabia.