Iran proposes deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz in 7 days if US meets its conditions

Iran has proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear talks in seven days if the United States lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales, and observes a ceasefire that includes Lebanon. The proposal was detailed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a private gathering on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The plan comes amid deep skepticism on both sides and renewed signs of diplomacy involving Qatar.

The proposal was conveyed to the United States by mediators and closely resembles a June memorandum of understanding, but with a faster timetable.

Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute said Araghchi suggested a quick deal could help President Donald Trump before November’s midterm elections.

A person familiar with the matter said Saudi Arabia was skeptical of the latest push for a deal.

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf publicly acknowledged an internal divide, warning against both permanent crisis and underestimating national capabilities.

The proposal would include Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah have mostly been observing a ceasefire, but it is unclear whether it would include the Yemen conflict.

Published Sep 26, 2026 2:21 am KST

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, Wednesday. Picture taken through a window. Reuters-Yonhap

Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on its nuclear program in seven days if the United States lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observes a ceasefire that would include Lebanon.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi detailed the proposal in a private gathering on Thursday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, according to one attendee.

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute think tank, said Araghchi suggested that a speedy agreement would help U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of November's midterm elections. The arrangement would also relieve enormous economic pressure on Tehran as the U.S. piles on additional sanctions.

Iran's disruption of the strait — through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas transited before the war — has emerged as its main point of leverage. The effects have been felt far beyond the Middle East.

There was no immediate comment from Iran's U.N. mission or other Iranian officials. A person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations, told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia was skeptical of the latest push for a deal.

The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Iran’s proposal.

The proposal resembles a June deal that quickly crumbled

The proposal, conveyed to the U.S. by mediators, strongly resembles the so-called Memorandum of Understanding reached in June, but with an accelerated timetable. The earlier agreement, which called for a 60-day interim period, quickly collapsed as Iran resumed attacks on shipping in the strait.

Trump has said he is in no rush to reach a deal, even as high oil prices fuel inflation. On the Iranian side, there are questions as to whether the hard-liners who dominate the security forces would accept compromises championed by moderates like President Masoud Pezeshkian.

“If Trump calculates this arrangement is worthwhile and can bring political benefit before the midterms and reduce gas prices, perhaps we'll see flexibility not seen in previous weeks,” Parsi said. But he noted “deep suspicion,” especially around the prospect of Iran merely buying time to ship out more of its oil and ease its economic pain.

There are other signs of renewed diplomacy

In the latest sign of diplomatic movement, Pezeshkian hosted the prime minister of Qatar early Friday. Qatar has been a key mediator, including during hours of indirect Iran-U.S. talks at the U.N. this week.

It was not clear how long Pezeshkian and Araghchi would stay in the U.S. after Pezeshkian addressed the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders on Wednesday, ending his speech by saying Iran remained open to diplomacy.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on the same day, said “if there’s an opportunity to exchange ideas and messages, we will.”

After multiple failed attempts at a deal, however, suspicion is high on both sides. The U.S. and Israel have attacked Iran twice while it was engaged in nuclear talks, and the U.S. and Iran accuse each other of having swiftly violated the June agreement.

“The Iranians already know that the chances of this not being accepted by Trump are much higher than the opposite,” Hamidreza Azizi, senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, wrote on X.

“They want to show that they were ready for diplomacy and that it was the United States that, for the third time, decided to attack in the middle of a diplomatic track — something that people within (Iran’s) strategic community have been anticipating over the past few days.”

It's unclear if the proposal would include the Yemen conflict

The proposal would include Lebanon, where Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been mostly observing a ceasefire. It's not clear, however, if it would include the revived conflict between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia, which has put even more pressure on global markets.

Iran appears to think the Houthis' newly enhanced ability to threaten the Bab el-Mandeb strait on the Red Sea — another trade chokepoint on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula — could push Trump to make a deal.

Maj. Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi, a military adviser to Iran's new supreme leader, told state television that the Americans “face a new problem called the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.”

He added: “I think the process that is unfolding is in our favor, and the Americans will be forced to accept Iran’s conditions.”

With the Houthis' latest surge in attacks, Saudi Arabia was skeptical of Araghchi’s latest push for a deal with the U.S., according to the person familiar with the matter.

The kingdom, along with other Gulf states, had advocated over the summer for a return to negotiations, saying they could live with an agreement that gave Iran a temporary role in managing the Strait of Hormuz, the person said.

But the Saudi calculations changed as the Houthis seized Yemen’s strategic Red Sea coast from pro-government forces and a vital Saudi pipeline came under attack.

Earlier this month, Gulf leaders planned to gather in Oman to discuss an emerging agreement between Oman and Iran on the Strait of Hormuz, which runs between the two countries. But the meeting was canceled after Saudi Arabia called for amendments, only some of which were accepted by Iran, the person said.

Iran's leadership has shown signs of divisions

Iran's leaders have sought to project unity, but some hard-liners want to continue or escalate the war to secure bigger U.S. concessions and have criticized Pezeshkian and Araghchi's diplomatic steps this week.

Firebrand lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei wrote on X that merely meeting with “the aggressor enemy” showed weakness. Iran’s Assembly of Experts, a panel of Shiite clerics who appoint the supreme leader, said “there is no path other than resistance.”

The head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, highlighted the U.N. speech by “the esteemed president” while focusing on Pezeshkian’s comments that Iran doesn’t fear war.

Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who served as chief negotiator in earlier talks with the United States, provided a rare public acknowledgment of the internal divide.

“There is a view that speaks of war but offers no prospect or mechanism for bringing it to a powerful conclusion,” he wrote on social media. “At the opposite end is a current that makes the error of underestimating national capabilities.”

He added: “The first error keeps the country in a state of permanent crisis, while the second hands national resources and dignity over to the enemy.”

伊朗提议，如果美国解除对伊朗港口的海上封锁、取消对伊朗石油销售的制裁，并遵守包括黎巴嫩在内的停火协议，伊朗将在七天内重新开放霍尔木兹海峡并恢复核谈判。伊朗外长阿巴斯·阿拉格奇在纽约联合国大会期间的一次私人会议上详细阐述了这一提议。该计划出台之际，双方都对此深表怀疑，同时卡塔尔参与的外交斡旋也出现了新的迹象。

该提议由调解人转达给美国，与六月份的谅解备忘录非常相似，但时间表更快。

昆西研究所的特里塔·帕尔西表示，阿拉格奇认为迅速达成协议可能有助于唐纳德·特朗普总统在11月的中期选举前赢得选举。

一位知情人士表示，沙特阿拉伯对最近推动达成协议的努力持怀疑态度。

伊朗议会议长穆罕默德·巴格尔·卡利巴夫公开承认伊朗国内存在分歧，并警告不要陷入永久危机，也不要低估国家能力。

该提议将包括黎巴嫩，以色列和真主党在黎巴嫩基本上遵守了停火协议，但目前尚不清楚是否会包括也门冲突。

发布于2026年9月26日凌晨2:21（韩国标准时间）

周三，从阿曼穆桑达姆港拍摄的霍尔木兹海峡船只照片。照片透过舷窗拍摄。路透社-韩联社

伊朗表示，如果美国解除对伊朗港口的海上封锁，放弃对伊朗石油销售的制裁，并遵守包括黎巴嫩在内的停火协议，伊朗将在七天内重新开放霍尔木兹海峡，并恢复关于其核计划的谈判。

据一位与会者透露，伊朗外交部长阿巴斯·阿拉格奇周四在纽约联合国大会期间的一次私人会议上详细阐述了该提议。

昆西研究所执行副总裁特里塔·帕尔西表示，阿拉格奇认为，迅速达成协议将有助于美国总统唐纳德·特朗普赢得11月的中期选举。随着美国不断加码制裁，该协议还将缓解德黑兰面临的巨大经济压力。

伊朗封锁霍尔木兹海峡——战前全球五分之一的石油和天然气贸易都要经过这里——已成为其主要的筹码。其影响远不止于中东地区。

伊朗常驻联合国代表团或其他伊朗官员均未立即置评。一位知情人士匿名向美联社透露，沙特阿拉伯对最近推动达成协议的努力持怀疑态度。该人士表示，沙特阿拉伯对此次协议的努力持怀疑态度。

白宫尚未就伊朗的提议作出回应。

该提案与六月份一项迅速破裂的协议类似。

调解人向美国转达的这项提议与6月份达成的所谓“谅解备忘录”非常相似，但时间表更为紧迫。此前的协议规定了60天的过渡期，但由于伊朗恢复了对霍尔木兹海峡船只的袭击，该协议迅速破裂。

尽管高油价加剧了通货膨胀，特朗普仍表示他不急于达成协议。伊朗方面，人们质疑主导安全部队的强硬派是否会接受以总统马苏德·佩泽什基安为代表的温和派所倡导的妥协方案。

帕尔西表示：“如果特朗普认为这项安排有利可图，能够在期中选举前带来政治利益并降低油价，那么或许我们会看到前几周未曾出现的灵活性。”但他指出，人们对此“深表怀疑”，尤其担心伊朗只是在争取时间，以便出口更多石油，缓解其经济困境。

还有其他迹象表明外交关系正在复苏。

外交方面取得最新进展的迹象是，佩泽什基安周五早些时候会见了卡塔尔首相。卡塔尔一直是关键的调解人，包括本周在联合国举行的数小时伊朗-美国间接会谈期间。

佩泽什基安周三在联合国世界领导人年度会议上发表讲话，他在讲话结束时表示，伊朗仍然对外交持开放态度。目前尚不清楚佩泽什基安和阿拉格奇将在美国停留多久。

美国国务卿马可·卢比奥当天表示，“如果有机会交流思想和信息，我们将会这样做。”

然而，在多次谈判失败后，双方的猜疑情绪高涨。美国和以色列在伊朗进行核谈判期间两次对伊朗发动袭击，而美伊双方也互相指责对方迅速违反了6月份达成的协议。

“伊朗人已经知道，特朗普不接受这一提议的可能性远大于接受的可能性，”国际危机组织智库的高级伊朗分析师哈米德雷扎·阿齐兹在X网站上写道。

“他们想表明他们已经准备好进行外交斡旋，而美国第三次决定在外交进程中途发动攻击——这是（伊朗）战略界人士在过去几天里一直预料到的。”

目前尚不清楚该提议是否会涵盖也门冲突。

该提议将涵盖黎巴嫩，以色列和伊朗支持的真主党在黎巴嫩基本遵守了停火协议。然而，目前尚不清楚该提议是否会将也门胡塞武装（伊朗支持的武装组织）与沙特阿拉伯之间重新爆发的冲突纳入其中，这场冲突给全球市场带来了更大的压力。

伊朗似乎认为，胡塞武装新近增强的威胁红海曼德海峡（阿拉伯半岛另一侧的另一个贸易咽喉要道）的能力，可能会促使特朗普达成协议。

伊朗新任最高领袖的军事顾问叶海亚·拉希姆·萨法维少将告诉国家电视台，美国人“面临着一个名为曼德海峡的新问题”。

他补充说：“我认为目前的进程对我们有利，美国人将被迫接受伊朗的条件。”

据知情人士透露，鉴于胡塞武装最近发动的一系列袭击，沙特阿拉伯对阿拉格奇最近推动与美国达成协议的努力持怀疑态度。

该人士称，沙特王国和其他海湾国家在夏季曾呼吁恢复谈判，并表示他们可以接受一项赋予伊朗在霍尔木兹海峡管理方面暂时发挥作用的协议。

但随着胡塞武装从亲政府部队手中夺取也门具有战略意义的红海沿岸地区，以及一条重要的沙特输油管道遭到袭击，沙特的考量发生了改变。

本月初，海湾国家领导人计划在阿曼举行会晤，讨论阿曼和伊朗之间就霍尔木兹海峡达成的协议。但据知情人士透露，沙特阿拉伯要求对协议进行修改，而伊朗只接受了其中一部分，因此会议最终取消。

伊朗领导层已显露出分裂迹象。

伊朗领导人一直试图展现团结，但一些强硬派希望继续或升级战争，以确保美国做出更大的让步，并批评了佩泽什基安和阿拉格奇本周的外交举措。

激进派议员易卜拉欣·雷扎伊在X网站上撰文称，仅仅与“侵略敌人”会面就显得软弱。伊朗什叶派神职人员组成的专家会议（负责任命最高领袖）表示，“除了抵抗别无他路”。

伊朗强大的革命卫队司令艾哈迈德·瓦希迪准将强调了“尊敬的总统”在联合国的讲话，同时重点关注了佩泽什基安关于伊朗不惧怕战争的言论。

伊朗议会议长穆罕默德·巴格尔·卡利巴夫曾担任此前与美国谈判的首席谈判代表，他罕见地公开承认了伊朗内部的分歧。

他在社交媒体上写道：“有一种观点只谈战争，却不提供任何能够有效结束战争的前景或机制。而与之相反的观点则犯了低估国家能力的错误。”

他补充道：“第一个错误使国家长期处于危机状态，而第二个错误则将国家资源和尊严拱手让给敌人。”