DUBAI, Oct 18 (Reuters) – Iran’s offer to the United States to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days is still on the table, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Iranian media outlets on Sunday.
Iran presented its proposal in mid-September after an interim ceasefire collapsed. Tehran later acknowledged receiving a US response but Iran’s security chief said last week negotiations have stalled because Washington failed to address all seven conditions for reopening the strait.
“Our situation is clear and based on the seven-days proposal presented to the US. They shared comments which we are reviewing, but our proposal is still on the table and if there is any honesty on the US part, which there isn’t, the way to reopening the Strait of Hormuz is obvious,” Araqchi said while in Baghdad for a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Iran’s conditions include, among other demands, the lifting of the US blockade on its ports, the lifting of US sanctions on its oil exports as well as ending hostilities on all regional fronts.
If Washington accepts Tehran’s conditions, the strait could reopen within six days, with talks resuming the following day, Araqchi said.
A central point of disagreement has been Washington’s insistence on addressing Iran’s nuclear programme from the outset.
US Vice President JD Vance said earlier this month that Iran must make a “meaningful” reduction in its uranium enrichment capacity to satisfy US demands and end the countries’ eight-month war.
Tehran says negotiations should initially focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war carried about a fifth of the global trade in oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), and restoring security in the waterway.
(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Joe Bavier, Elaine Hardcastle)
