Iran proposes seven-day plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz

Iran puts forward accelerated plan

Iran’s top diplomat said Tehran has proposed a seven-day process to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart negotiations with the United States on a wider peace agreement. Iran’s president said Thursday that the country wants to reach a deal before the November midterm elections.

The proposal would require the United States to end its blockade. It is described as a faster version of a previously discussed 60-day process and would include immediate steps toward direct negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran’s demands under discussion include relief from sanctions, fewer restrictions on oil exports and access to frozen Iranian funds. Negotiators are also considering arrangements for the strait, including possible joint management by Iran and Oman under a framework involving the United States and other countries in the region. The passage of U.S. vessels remains another subject of talks.

Talks and U.S. response

Al Jazeera’s Tehran bureau chief, Nourddine Dgheir, reported that technical experts had joined discussions in New York following an initial meeting involving U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. U.S. officials had not confirmed that negotiations had reached the technical stage or that additional Iranian officials had received permission to enter the country.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he discussed the Iran war with Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi’s visit to Washington.

Qatari officials have served as mediators between Washington and Tehran for months. The seven-day timetable, sanctions questions, oil exports, frozen funds and navigation rules remain matters for negotiation.