Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days and resume negotiations with the United States if Washington eases its military pressure and takes steps towards lifting the blockade on Iranian ports, a move that could have significant implications for global oil supply and shipping.
Kyodo News, citing an unnamed senior Iranian official on Tuesday, reported that Tehran transmitted the proposal to the US administration through intermediaries as part of efforts to revive diplomatic negotiations. The proposal seeks a return to talks aimed at securing what Iran described as a “permanent end to hostilities” between both countries.
Under the proposed arrangement, Tehran wants Washington to demonstrate its commitment to negotiations, begin measures to lift the military blockade on Iranian ports and halt military operations linked to the Strait of Hormuz.
If those conditions are met, Iran said it would restore maritime traffic through the strategic waterway within seven days and return to the negotiating table. The Iranian official stressed that Washington must demonstrate “seriousness and commitment” for the diplomatic process to move forward.
The proposal was reportedly approved by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). However, the official did not clarify whether the offer represents a departure from the seven conditions Tehran had previously attached to negotiations and the reopening of the strait.
The development comes as the deadline approaches for an earlier SNSC decision under which Iran reserved the right to launch renewed strikes against US forces if Washington failed to end the blockade on Iranian ports within 45 days. The decision was reportedly taken on August 16.
The Strait of Hormuz remains critical to the international oil market, while the blockade has severely constrained Iran’s oil exports and the conflict has reduced commercial shipping through the waterway well below pre-war levels. Any sustained restoration of maritime traffic could therefore alter supply and shipping conditions across the global energy market.
Separately, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran’s delegation at the United Nations General Assembly in New York has full authority to revive negotiations with Washington. The official ruled out a meeting between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump at the General Assembly but said a pathway towards an agreement remains possible.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf had previously ruled out returning to the earlier negotiation framework or reopening the Strait of Hormuz until Tehran’s conditions are met. He nevertheless confirmed that Iran had sent messages to Washington through intermediaries, maintaining that Tehran must “fight and negotiate simultaneously.”