Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that his country had offered the United States an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week.
Araqchi told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York that this is possible “if the necessary conditions are met,” noting that these conditions are contained in the memorandum of understanding that was signed in June.
He said: “The decision is now in the hands of the United States,” adding that the plan was conveyed to the American side via Qatar.
In response to a question about the Iranian offer, an American official told the BBC that there are positive discussions taking place through mediators, including discussions about the nuclear file.
While the United States has not yet provided its official response to the proposal, the Wall Street Journal, citing American officials, reported that US President Donald Trump had rejected the agreement.
The newspaper reported that Trump was skeptical that Iran would meet his demands, and that he told his aides that he saw the possibility of launching a new bombing campaign.
The United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on February 28. Iran responded by attacking Israel, US bases in the Gulf region, and US Gulf Arab allies, as well as closing the Strait of Hormuz.
It is noteworthy that about 20 percent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the strait before the war, and its closure caused sharp fluctuations in energy prices.
This situation also increased pressure on Trump to find a way to end the conflict, especially with the US Congressional elections approaching in November.
“If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened and normal maritime traffic can be restored within seven days,” Araqchi told reporters.
Araqchi did not specify the steps that Iran wants the United States to take, but he added that "the measures that the United States must take are not new; they are all already included in the memorandum of understanding."
He continued, saying: "I can tell you that if there is seriousness on the American side to reach an agreement and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is ready now."
On the other hand, an American official told the BBC that the United States “is in a very strong position thanks to its control of the Strait of Hormuz, so it is not in a rush.”
In an interview with CBS News, the BBC's American partner, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that the ceasefire process "will start from the day they accept this."
He added: "We previously reached an agreement based on the memorandum of understanding that was signed in Pakistan... If the United States agrees to move forward in this way, things will return to the way they were before."
Pezeshkian also stated that Iran will now allow IAEA inspectors to enter the country.
In response to allegations that Iran is seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, the Iranian president said: “If they wish to come and conduct inspections, we can reach understandings and agreements on this particular issue within the framework of negotiations.”
The memorandum of understanding concluded between the United States and Iran on June 18 was designed to achieve a ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even partially.
The agreement, consisting of 14 clauses, stipulates that Iran will never possess a nuclear weapon. He also indicated that the United States, Iran and their allies would end military operations on “all fronts,” and included provisions that include ending the US naval blockade and easing sanctions.
The agreement also included a pledge from Iran to “exert its utmost efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial ships” through the strait, and to hold talks with the Sultanate of Oman regarding future shipping arrangements.
However, the agreement collapsed shortly after when both sides resumed attacks.
Iran attacked ships that it said attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz without permission.
In return, the United States launched attacks on Iranian sites in the Strait, as well as on Iranian oil tankers off the coast of the country. It also continued to impose a blockade on Iranian ports, causing massive disruption to the Iranian economy.
Since then, President Trump has claimed that the United States has succeeded in securing the exit of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
Shipping data shows that the average number of daily crossings over the past ten days amounted to about 18, with numbers declining on some days to reach only nine ships, according to Kpler, a company specializing in commodity data and analysis, which was quoted by Reuters.
However, the Ansar Allah group in Yemen has recently intensified their attacks aimed at disrupting Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea, located on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.
The group seized large, strategically important swaths of the Red Sea coast during a rapid offensive this month, including the port of Mocha overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait, another vital chokepoint for global shipping traffic.
On Friday, Araqchi stated that Iran does not accept “coercion, threats or intimidation,” adding that “peace cannot be built through the threat of annihilation.”
