Iran proposes plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz in seven days

Is the lying poker game still going on? Iran indicated on Friday that it had transmitted to the United States a plan providing for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within seven days after its acceptance by Washington. From the UN headquarters in New York, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi assured that “the choice now rests” with the United States. “The seven-day period will begin as soon as the United States accepts this plan,” he said.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a central issue in the conflict between Tehran and Washington since the strikes launched at the end of February by Washington and Israel against Iran. Before the war, around a fifth of the world's hydrocarbons passed through this strategic sea route. Its reopening is also part of the discussions initiated to try to contain oil prices.

The same requests as in June

The requests presented by Tehran take up, according to Abbas Araghchi, the provisions negotiated a few months earlier. “The measures that the United States must take are not new,” declared the head of Iranian diplomacy. “They are all already included in the memorandum of understanding” signed in June by Donald Trump and Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian.

This agreement was supposed to make it possible to end the war in the Middle East, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and then initiate discussions on the Iranian nuclear program. However, differences of interpretation between Washington and Tehran prevented its implementation. Among the Iranian conditions were the immediate and definitive cessation of military operations on all fronts, particularly in Lebanon. The spokesperson for the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Mohebi, also spoke on Tuesday of the end of hostilities in Yemen.

Discussions held all week

At the same time, Iran is demanding the release of its frozen assets abroad and the lifting of American economic sanctions. In the spring, local media estimated the amount of these assets at between $100 and $123 billion. These demands come as the Iranian economy is faced with a sharp rise in prices, after popular protests bloodily repressed at the beginning of January.

Our file on the war in Iran

American and Iranian officials discussed this week in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, according to Donald Trump. For his part, Massoud Pezeshkian sent the decision back to Washington in an interview with Fox News: “It is up to America to decide whether or not it wants to end” this conflict. At this stage, no negotiations have resulted in an agreement on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.