Hormuz Deal Back in Focus as US and Iran Prepare for Mediator Talks
US and Iranian officials are set to hold mediator talks this week as efforts to resolve the ongoing Hormuz crisis continue. Qatari mediators will meet separately with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New York and with the US side on Monday or Tuesday, according to an official briefed on the negotiations.
The discussions will focus on an amended version of Iran's seven-day proposal presented last week at the UN General Assembly. The plan calls for an end to hostilities in Iran and Lebanon, the unfreezing of billions of dollars in Iranian assets, and the lifting of US sanctions on Iranian oil and ports.
Tehran would then reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran and the US would resume negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. However, the two sides remain divided over the scope of negotiations, with Iran wanting talks centered on the strait and the US naval blockade, while Washington seeks nuclear concessions.