US and Iran discuss phased resolution to reopen Strait of Hormuz

Negotiators from the US and Iran are discussing a phased resolution to their ongoing conflict.

Iran has given the United States six days to respond to its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as British foreign secretary Ed Miliband met Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in New York on Thursday amid rising tensions over the vital shipping route. According to The Guardian, Araghchi said Iran had sent Washington a proposal through mediators and was awaiting a response. Under the proposal, Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the US meets its conditions. Araghchi said Iran’s proposal includes lifting the US blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions, releasing frozen Iranian assets and ending military operations across the region. He said Tehran wants the conditions to be implemented before the Strait of Hormuz is reopened. Miliband, meanwhile, said Britain remained committed to freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and wanted a diplomatic solution to the standoff. He also raised British concerns with Araghchi over Iran’s activities in the UK and sought consular access to British nationals detained in Iran. The US and Iran continue to hold talks over Tehran’s proposal, with Washington yet to accept Iran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the discussions were significant but did not represent a major breakthrough, while President Donald Trump said he remained open to reaching a deal. The talks come as the Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of a wider regional crisis. The waterway is a key route for global energy shipments, and prolonged disruption has raised concerns over its impact on oil supplies, shipping and international trade. The crisis is also spilling into other key trade routes. Iran-backed Houthis have seized parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and control the Bab al-Mandab Strait, while Saudi Arabia has faced renewed Houthi attacks. The developments have raised concerns over disruption to another major route linking the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean.