Iran Offers to Reopen Strait of Hormuz in Seven Days Under Conditions

Iran has proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restarting negotiations over its nuclear programme within seven days, contingent on the United States lifting its naval blockade, waiving sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observing a ceasefire that would extend to Lebanon.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented the outline during a private gathering on Thursday on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to an attendee. There was no immediate response from Iran's UN mission or other Iranian officials.

The proposal closely tracks a Memorandum of Understanding reached in June, but compresses its timeline. That earlier arrangement had envisaged a 60-day interim period and unravelled quickly when Iran resumed attacks on shipping in the strait.

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute think tank, who was present, said Araghchi argued that a swift agreement would benefit US President Donald Trump before November's midterm elections. Parsi suggested that if Washington judged the arrangement worthwhile — capable of delivering political advantage before the midterms and easing petrol prices — greater flexibility might emerge than in recent weeks. He also pointed to deep suspicion, particularly over the possibility that Iran is simply buying time to export more oil and relieve economic pressure.

Trump has said he is in no hurry to reach a deal, even as elevated oil prices feed inflation and sharpen cost-of-living concerns. On the Iranian side, it remains uncertain whether the hard-liners who dominate the security forces would accept compromises advanced by relative moderates such as President Masoud Pezeshkian.

In a further sign of diplomatic activity, Pezeshkian received Qatar's prime minister early Friday. Qatar has acted as a key intermediary, including during hours of indirect Iranian-American talks at the UN this week. It was not clear how long Pezeshkian and Araghchi would remain in the United States after the president addressed the annual gathering of world leaders on Wednesday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that if an opportunity arose to exchange ideas and messages, Washington would take it.