NEW YORK / TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Qatari mediators in New York to press a proposal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while a United States official told Al Jazeera there will be no agreement to end the war unless Iran’s nuclear program is addressed, according to Al Jazeera reporting published Tuesday.
Araghchi told Iranian state media on Monday that mediators would carry ideas from the meeting to Washington and that he hoped for a U.S. response by Tuesday. He said he would return to Tehran within hours rather than wait in New York, adding that Qataris “know how to get” any reply to Tehran. He described the exchange through Qatari and Pakistani channels as taking on “a more serious form” since Iran submitted its plan at the U.N. General Assembly last week.
The Iranian proposal, as summarized by Al Jazeera, asks the United States to release frozen Iranian funds, lift sanctions, and end its naval blockade of Iranian ports within roughly four or five days, after which the strait would reopen and talks on a final agreement — including the nuclear file — would begin by day seven. President Donald Trump rejected an earlier version of the plan on Saturday as “unacceptable,” though he told reporters Monday that U.S. officials had spoken with mediators and that “We’re going to win… It’s going to go pretty quickly,” adding that gas prices would fall once the war was won.
A U.S. official speaking to Al Jazeera called indirect discussions “positive and constructive” but said Trump is willing to ease sanctions and release frozen funds only in exchange for nuclear progress. “Iran has indicated they are flexible on the nuclear issues, but the sides still remain apart on the timing of the commitments and who takes which steps first,” the official said. Washington also accuses Tehran of breaking a June memorandum of understanding by firing on commercial vessels — a charge Iran denies, blaming the U.S. for failing to halt Israeli attacks on Lebanon and for promoting alternate Hormuz shipping routes.
Iran closed the strait — which handled roughly 20% of global oil and gas supplies before the conflict — after U.S. and Israeli strikes began Feb. 28. Oil has traded above $100 a barrel amid the disruption, though Reuters, citing Kpler data reported by Al Jazeera, said Middle East crude exports rebounded in September to 12.8 million barrels per day, still well below February’s 18.8 million. Adm. Brad Cooper of U.S. Central Command said American forces had assisted 2,000 transits and more than 1 billion barrels of oil along a U.S.-supervised route hugging Oman’s coast.
In Tehran, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei struck a defiant tone in a message carried by Iranian media, saying foreign forces “dare not venture beyond the Arabian Sea.” Military leaders warned of a “decisive” response to threats and insisted the strait remains closed.
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera, with oil-flow figures attributed via Al Jazeera to Reuters/Kpler. Indirect U.S. comments attributed as Al Jazeera sourced them.