Mediators working to broker US-Iran deal, but major hurdles remain

Mediators are working in Cairo with Iran and the United States to broker a deal to end the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but major hurdles remain. The indirect talks come as the conflict enters its eighth month and has caused global economic damage. The sides remain apart on nuclear issues, timing, and who moves first.

The talks reportedly involve a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz first, then lift the U.S. blockade and later remove sanctions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is due to meet Qatari mediators Monday about the latest discussions.

One regional official said the U.S. wants Iranian concessions on nuclear issues, including allowing inspectors into the country.

Published Sep 29, 2026 1:49 pm KST

Updated Sep 29, 2026 2:00 pm KST

Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, addresses the media at a press conference during the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 25. Reuters-Yonhap

CAIRO — Mediators are working with Iran and the United States on trying to broker a deal to end the fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz , three regional officials and two U.S. officials told The Associated Press, but major hurdles remain between the sides.

The indirect talks come as the conflict, which is entering its eighth month, has caused global economic damage and badly battered Iran. Multiple efforts to allow safe shipping on one of the world’s most crucial waterways have failed.

The officials divulged that the behind-the-scenes efforts continue even after U.S. President Donald Trump initially said he spurned an Iranian proposal to reopen the strait in a week if the U.S. agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian assets and waive sanctions on Iranian oil sales, among other conditions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — who stayed in New York after last week’s gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly — will meet with Qatari mediators Monday about the latest discussions, Iranian state media reported Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei as saying.

Despite Trump’s often bellicose rhetoric, he is open to pursuing a non-military resolution to the conflict if one can be achieved, a senior U.S. official said.

But the Trump administration will not reach a deal with Tehran until nuclear issues are addressed, another U.S. official said. Trump is willing to grant sanctions relief to Iran, along with the release of some frozen funds, for concrete progress on nuclear issues, and while Iran has indicated it is flexible on nuclear issues, the sides are far apart on timing and which side makes the first moves, the official said.

All the officials were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity about the behind-the-scenes diplomatic negotiations.

The deal would first reopen the strait and lift the US blockade

Two of the regional officials speaking to the AP confirmed that mediators are working with both sides on a proposal that would include reopening the strait and lifting the U.S. blockade, and then removing sanctions.

According to the draft text being discussed, the strait would reopen in accordance with a separate deal that Iran has been discussing with Oman , on the other side of the strait, and it would include no tolls — something Tehran has pursued. That deal seeks to temporarily manage shipping traffic on what was seen as an international waterway before the war.

One regional official said the U.S. is seeking Iranian concessions on nuclear issues that include allowing inspectors to enter the country. Under the memorandum of understanding the two sides signed in June that collapsed within days, Iran’s nuclear program was meant to be discussed over a 60-day period.

The U.S. officials say the United States is skeptical about whether Iran can be persuaded to ultimately reach Trump’s conditions for a deal and would be serious about any promises it makes, especially after it broke the interim deal by firing on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. officials feel their position is getting stronger as Tehran feels the impact of sanctions.

US President Donald Trump delivers an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 28 September 2026. EPA-Yonhap

Iran's latest proposal seeks faster action

While Iran’s latest proposal echoes the June deal, a key difference is speed.

Araghchi told a closed-door meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly last week that Tehran had pitched the deal as benefiting Trump in the midterm elections. Araghchi later told journalists that “the seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan.”

Meanwhile, Araghchi met Monday with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, whose office said he welcomed diplomatic efforts in the last week to end the conflict and urged the parties to keep talking.

Both the U.S. and Iran have been hurting economically — the U.S. from high oil prices as Iran attacks ships on the strait, and Tehran from the naval blockade and a growing number of U.S. sanctions that bottle up its oil sales. Brent crude, the international standard, is above $108.

For months, the two sides have been trying to outlast the other, while regional countries endure missile and drone attacks as Tehran claims to target U.S. military assets in the region.

Reflecting Iran's impatience, a rare statement on Monday attributed to the theocracy's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei noted the “painful blows” that enemy forces have received near the strait. “Before long, the Arabian Sea, too, will be rid of them,” the statement added.

Tehran's latest proposal again sought to end the fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon. But a new front has emerged in recent weeks as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are now perched on another crucial waterway, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. That has further pressured global energy markets.

Iran argues that the Houthis have their own demands, and that their conflict with neighboring Saudi Arabia is separate from the U.S.-Iran war, but Iranian officials said they are willing to help in finding a settlement between the Houthis and the Saudis, one of the officials said.

调解员正在开罗与伊朗和美国合作，力图达成一项结束冲突、重新开放霍尔木兹海峡的协议，但仍存在诸多障碍。此次间接会谈正值冲突进入第八个月之际，冲突已造成全球经济损失。双方在核问题、时机以及谁先采取行动等问题上仍存在分歧。

据报道，会谈内容包括先重新开放霍尔木兹海峡，然后解除美国封锁，最后取消制裁。

伊朗外交部长阿巴斯·阿拉格奇将于周一与卡塔尔调解人会面，讨论最新进展。

一位地区官员表示，美国希望伊朗在核问题上做出让步，包括允许核查人员进入该国。

发布于2026年9月29日下午1:49（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月29日下午2:00（韩国标准时间）

9月25日，伊朗外交部长阿巴斯·阿拉格奇在美国纽约联合国总部举行的第81届联合国大会新闻发布会上发表讲话。（路透社-韩联社）

开罗——三名地区官员和两名美国官员告诉美联社，调解员正在与伊朗和美国合作，试图促成一项结束战斗并开放霍尔木兹海峡的协议，但双方之间仍然存在重大障碍。

这场冲突已持续八个月，造成全球经济损失，并重创伊朗。为确保这条全球最重要水道之一的航运安全，各方多次努力均告失败。

官员们透露，即使在美国总统唐纳德·特朗普最初表示拒绝伊朗提出的在一周内重新开放海峡的提议（即如果美国同意解除对伊朗港口的封锁、释放被冻结的伊朗资产并豁免对伊朗石油销售的制裁等条件），幕后努力仍在继续。

据伊朗国家媒体报道，伊朗外交部发言人伊斯梅尔·巴盖伊表示，伊朗外交部长阿巴斯·阿拉格奇在上周联合国大会世界领导人会议结束后留在纽约，他将于周一与卡塔尔调解人会面，讨论最新进展。

一位美国高级官员表示，尽管特朗普经常发表好战言论，但如果能够找到非军事手段解决冲突，他愿意寻求这种解决方案。

但另一位美国官员表示，在核问题得到解决之前，特朗普政府不会与德黑兰达成协议。这位官员说，特朗普愿意在伊朗核问题取得实质性进展的前提下，解除对伊朗的制裁并解冻部分冻结资金。虽然伊朗已表示在核问题上态度灵活，但双方在时间安排和谁先采取行动的问题上仍存在巨大分歧。

所有官员均未被授权公开评论，他们匿名谈论了幕后的外交谈判。

该协议将首先重新开放海峡并解除美国的封锁。

两名接受美联社采访的地区官员证实，调解员正在与双方合作，制定一项方案，其中包括重新开放海峡、解除美国封锁，然后取消制裁。

根据正在讨论的草案文本，海峡将根据伊朗与海峡另一侧的阿曼正在商讨的另一项协议重新开放，并且不会收取任何通行费——这正是德黑兰一直坚持的。该协议旨在暂时管理这条战前被视为国际航道的水域的航运。

一位地区官员表示，美国正寻求伊朗在核问题上做出让步，包括允许核查人员入境。根据双方6月份签署的谅解备忘录（该备忘录几天后便宣告失效），伊朗核计划的讨论期本应为60天。

美国官员表示，美国对能否最终说服伊朗接受特朗普提出的协议条件持怀疑态度，并且会认真对待伊朗做出的任何承诺，尤其是在伊朗向霍尔木兹海峡的商船开火，违反了临时协议之后。

随着德黑兰感受到制裁的影响，美国官员认为他们的地位越来越稳固。

2026年9月28日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在华盛顿特区白宫椭圆形办公室发表讲话。图片来源：EPA-Yonhap

伊朗最新提议寻求加快行动。

伊朗的最新提议虽然与 6 月份的协议类似，但关键区别在于速度。

阿拉格奇上周在联合国大会期间的一次闭门会议上表示，德黑兰方面声称该协议有利于特朗普在中期选举中获胜。阿拉格奇随后告诉记者，“一旦美国接受这项计划，七天期限就会开始计算。”

与此同时，阿拉格奇周一会见了联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯，古特雷斯的办公室表示，他欢迎过去一周为结束冲突所做的外交努力，并敦促各方继续对话。

美国和伊朗的经济都遭受重创——美国因伊朗袭击霍尔木兹海峡船只而导致油价高企，德黑兰则因海上封锁和日益增多的美国制裁而石油出口受阻。国际基准布伦特原油价格已超过每桶108美元。

数月来，双方一直试图拖延时间，而地区国家则遭受导弹和无人机袭击，德黑兰声称其目标是该地区的美国军事资产。

伊朗方面急于求成，周一，伊朗最高领袖阿亚图拉·穆杰塔巴·哈梅内伊罕见地发表声明，指出敌军在霍尔木兹海峡附近遭受了“沉重打击”。声明还补充道：“不久之后，阿拉伯海也将摆脱他们。”

德黑兰的最新提议再次寻求结束所有战线的冲突，包括黎巴嫩的战线。但近几周来，随着伊朗支持的也门胡塞武装占据另一条关键水道——红海南入口处的曼德海峡，新的战线出现。这进一步加剧了全球能源市场的压力。

伊朗方面认为胡塞武装有自己的诉求，他们与邻国沙特阿拉伯的冲突与美伊战争无关，但一位伊朗官员表示，他们愿意帮助胡塞武装和沙特阿拉伯达成和解。