Iran Offers Strait Reopening Deal in Exchange for US Concessions

The Iranian foreign minister has made a new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on Iran's nuclear program. According to Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute think tank, who attended a private gathering at the U.N. General Assembly, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi detailed the plan to lift the U.S. naval blockade, waive oil sanctions, and observe a ceasefire that includes Lebanon in exchange for the reopening of the strait and resuming nuclear talks within seven days.

The proposal is similar to an agreement reached in June, but it has yet to be confirmed by Iranian officials. Some question whether hard-liners who dominate the security forces will accept compromises championed by President Masoud Pezeshkian's relative moderates.

In a separate development, Saudi Arabia's top cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh al-Fawzan, has issued a statement calling on soldiers to be prepared to defend the country from Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The U.N. Security Council has condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping in the Red Sea.