“If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, and normal maritime traffic can resume within seven days,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday. US President Donald trump has reportedly rejected an Iranian plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that has been at the heart of tensions between Washington and Tehran since late February.
The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported on Friday that Trump had refused a proposal for a seven-day ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait, telling his aides that he expected to resume a bombing campaign against Iran after the US’ midterm elections in November. Trump later posted an image on Truth Social showing an image of the Strait of Hormuz rebranded as the “Trump Strait.”
Referring to the June memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US, he added: “The actions that the US needs to take are not new. All of them were previously outlined in the memorandum of understanding.”
“If the American side is serious about reaching an agreement and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now ready,” Araghchi went on.
According to the Associated Press, Tehran has proposed that if the US were to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, cancel sanctions on Iranian oil sales, and observe a ceasefire that includes Lebanon, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days and resume talks regarding its nuclear program.
Araghchi noted that the seven-day timeline of the plan would begin as soon as the US agreed. He said that completing the initial steps would take four to five days and that the Strait would reopen on the sixth day.
Referring to the start of nuclear talks, Araghchi added: “On the seventh day, negotiations with the US will begin to reach a final agreement on issues agreed upon by both sides.”
He also said it would be “better” if an agreement with Washington were reached before the US midterm elections.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran, also emphasized during an interview with CBS on Friday evening that if the US accepted Iran’s seven-day proposal, then Tehran would honour everything to which it has committed.
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