Iran Awaits US Response to Strait of Hormuz Peace Plan
The United States has not yet officially responded to Iran's proposal for a peace deal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end hostilities in the region. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday that the plan had been transmitted to the US via Qatari mediators and would trigger a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait.
Araqchi told reporters at the United Nations General Assembly in New York that if the US were to agree, the warring parties could start wider talks 'on mutually agreed subjects,' which could include discussions of Iran's nuclear program. The plan requires the US to lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release Iran's frozen funds, and waive its oil sanctions.
The Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump had privately rejected the deal, but a US official was quoted as saying that discussions through mediators were 'positive and constructive.' Iran has been at war with Saudi Arabia and its allies for seven months, disrupting oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz and taking a toll on the global economy.