Iran Foreign Minister expects US answer on Sept 29 on plan to open Hormuz

As a precondition for ending its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is demanding a seven-day ceasefire across the Middle East.

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he expected a formal answer on Sept 29 from the United States to Tehran’s proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported.

Qatari intermediaries “presented ideas, and we discussed them; they are set to raise the matter with the American side once more, after which the final US response will be conveyed to us”, Araghchi said late on Sept 28.

Iran’s top diplomat, who is in New York for the UN General Assembly, said “the Qataris hope this will be done by tomorrow”.

“The current focus is solely on the Strait of Hormuz, and the reopening of the strait is contingent upon the fulfilment of certain conditions that we have communicated to the other side,” he added.

The Strait of Hormuz lies at the heart of the conflict between the United States and Iran, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.

The shipping route carried a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas before the war began.

But Tehran imposed a blockade on Hormuz after the war started, prompting Washington to respond with its own blockade on Iranian ports.

Earlier in September, discussions were held in New York between Araghchi and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

As a precondition for ending its blockade, Iran is demanding a seven-day ceasefire across the Middle East, including in Lebanon, where its ally Hezbollah has been battling Israeli forces.

It is also demanding the unfreezing of Iranian assets abroad, the lifting of sanctions on its oil sector, and an end to the US naval blockade. AFP