Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that Tehran had delivered the proposal to Washington through Qatar and that normal shipping could resume within seven days once the United States begins carrying out the required measures.
“The choice is now up to the United States,” Araghchi told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York, adding that Iran would not give up what it considers its sovereign rights under pressure.
Araghchi said Washington could complete the required steps within four to five days. Iran would then reopen the strait on the sixth day, followed by talks between the two sides on mutually agreed issues on the seventh. He said the measures were not new but had already been included in a ceasefire memorandum signed by the two countries in June.
Iran says it wants the fighting to stop, restrictions on its ports lifted, frozen funds released and some U.S. oil sanctions eased before it reopens the strait. Araghchi said most of those conditions were already part of a June deal, but talks later broke down over how to carry it out.
Tehran, however, is drawing a line between the Hormuz negotiations and its nuclear program.
“The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets all of Iran’s conditions,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The official said Iran would not make nuclear concessions even if Washington accepted Tehran’s proposal on the strait.
Iran maintains that detailed nuclear negotiations can begin only after Washington first meets its demands. Tehran has also refused to give up its claimed right to enrich uranium or send its highly enriched uranium stockpile abroad, although it has previously indicated that it could consider diluting its most highly enriched material.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said he hopes Tehran and Washington can reach an agreement to end hostilities before the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections.
AJP Takeaways
- Iran has offered a seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the United States meets its conditions.
- Tehran says any Hormuz deal would not include concessions on Iran’s nuclear program.
- Iran’s demands include an end to hostilities, access to frozen funds and relief from U.S. oil sanctions.
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