Iran Offers Deal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has proposed a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on Iran's nuclear program. The proposal, made at a private gathering on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, would see Iran lift its blockade of the strait if the US lifts its naval blockade and waives oil sanctions. Additionally, there would need to be a ceasefire that includes Lebanon.

The plan is similar to an agreement reached in June that later collapsed. However, it's unclear whether hard-liners who dominate the security forces will accept compromises championed by President Masoud Pezeshkian. The US has stated it's not in a rush to reach a deal, and some question whether Iran can deliver on its promises.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's top cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh al-Fawzan, has called on soldiers to be prepared to defend the country from neighboring Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels. In Gaza, two Israeli soldiers were killed in an unexploded Israeli drone, and hospitals in Yemen are struggling as the civil war reignites.