Iran Makes Offer to Reopen Strait of Hormuz In Days: Report
Iran is offering to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz within a week, but its proposal demands substantial relief from American pressure before negotiations on a final agreement—including Tehran’s nuclear program—would begin.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented the framework during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, saying it had been conveyed to President Donald Trump’s administration through Qatar.
The initiative seeks to end nearly seven months of war between the United States and Iran. It would link the reopening of one of the world’s most important energy corridors to concessions involving Washington’s naval blockade, Iranian oil exports and a broader halt to hostilities.
“The seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan,” Araghchi told reporters Friday.
He said the preliminary measures could be implemented over four or five days, followed by the restoration of maritime traffic through Hormuz on the sixth day.
“On day seven, the talks with the U.S. will be started for the final deal on mutually agreed subjects,” he said.
Iran’s disputed nuclear activities would be among the subjects addressed in those subsequent negotiations.
The offer creates a possible avenue toward ending the conflict, but its sequencing leaves a fundamental disagreement unresolved: Tehran wants relief from American military and economic pressure without first committing to nuclear concessions.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that accepting the seven-day framework would not, by itself, require Iran to compromise on its nuclear program.
The same official said the strait would stay closed until Tehran’s conditions had been met.
Those demands reportedly include ending the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, issuing waivers for Iranian oil exports, freeing frozen Iranian funds and stopping hostilities across several fronts, including Lebanon.
That makes the proposal more than a timetable for reopening a shipping route. It is also an attempt by Tehran to use its control over maritime access to secure substantial changes in American policy before the broader negotiations begin.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a central source of Iranian leverage throughout the war. Before fighting began, approximately one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed through the narrow passage between Iran and Oman.
The disruption of commercial traffic has helped push energy prices higher and placed particular strain on countries reliant on oil from the Persian Gulf.
Tehran had already suggested earlier in the week that it could move quickly to restore access if Washington eased military pressure and removed the blockade.
On Tuesday, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that reopening could happen within seven days if the United States showed a serious commitment to a diplomatic resolution.
Araghchi’s remarks supplied a more detailed sequence, specifying when shipping would resume and when talks on a final settlement would start.
Washington, however, has already seen an interim arrangement fail.
The latest framework resembles an agreement reached in June that established a proposed 60-day negotiating window and envisioned freer passage through Hormuz while both sides pursued a more comprehensive settlement.
That arrangement broke down soon afterward when Iran resumed attacks on shipping.
Its collapse provides an immediate test for the new proposal: whether another temporary understanding would actually deliver reliable maritime access or simply postpone the same confrontation.
The earlier failure has fueled doubts in Washington and among some Persian Gulf governments about the durability of any renewed commitment from Tehran.
Diplomatic contacts have nonetheless continued during the U.N. gathering.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Friday with Qatar’s prime minister, while intermediaries carried messages between Iranian and American officials.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the United States remained open to exchanging proposals and messages if there was an opportunity to do so.
The White House has characterized the indirect discussions as “positive and constructive,” while stressing that Washington considers its negotiating position strong.
Those contacts have not produced public American acceptance of Iran’s terms.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump told advisers that he would not accept the seven-day proposal in its present form. The newspaper also reported that he expected military operations against Iran could intensify after the November midterm elections.
That reported position suggests Tehran’s offer has yet to bridge the distance between the two governments, despite the continued exchanges through mediators.
Reuters reported Saturday that Iranian officials were still awaiting an official American response. They indicated that Washington had not formally notified them of a rejection.
For now, the distinction remains consequential: reports describe Trump as unwilling to accept the existing framework, while Tehran says it has received no definitive answer through diplomatic channels.
Iran has put forward a timetable for restoring shipping, but agreement on the price of that reopening—and the obligations that would follow—remains out of reach.