Iran awaits US response to seven-day Hormuz reopening proposal

TEHRAN — Iran has heard US President Donald Trump’s initial reaction to its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days but is still awaiting Washington’s formal position through mediators, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Saturday.Araghchi told the official IRNA news agency that Tehran had presented its conditions for reopening the strategic waterway and advancing negotiations during meetings in New York.He said the conditions were explained to mediators, who subsequently relayed them to the United States.“We have heard the first reaction from the US president, but nothing has yet been conveyed to us by the mediators,” Araghchi said. “We are waiting for the final position to be conveyed through the mediators, and we will decide based on that.”He said any progress toward reopening the strait or advancing negotiations remained conditional on Tehran’s terms being met.“Our conditions are clear,” he said.Iran’s proposal sets out a roadmap for restoring normal maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz within seven days. It calls on the US to release frozen Iranian assets, lift oil sanctions and end the naval blockade on Iranian ports. Tehran says the measures would pave the way for reopening the waterway and beginning negotiations on a final agreement.Araghchi said a negotiated settlement remained the only viable path forward, arguing that Tehran had kept diplomatic channels open.“There will be no solution other than a negotiated one based on dignity and justice and securing the rights of the Iranian people,” he said.He added that Iran would continue pursuing diplomacy while refusing to relinquish what it considers its rights under pressure.Earlier Saturday, Trump rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping within a week, saying Tehran’s terms were unacceptable despite its stated willingness to reach an agreement.Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the US already had “total control” of the strait and claimed Iran was seeking an agreement because it was “losing so badly.”On Friday, Araghchi said normal maritime passage through the strait could resume within seven days if Tehran’s conditions were met, adding that the steps required from Washington were already included in the June memorandum between the two sides.“The choice now rests with the United States,” he said.