Iran awaits US response to proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuz

CAIRO/UNITED NATIONS: Iran is waiting for an official response from the United States to a proposal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and stopping fighting across the wider Middle East, after a Wall Street Journal report said US President Donald Trump had rejected the initiative.

Iran presented the proposal during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. According to Iranian officials, the plan was delivered to Washington through Qatari mediators and could lead to the reopening of the strategically important waterway and a halt to regional hostilities within seven days.

Tehran has also held discussions with Saudi Arabia over the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting the broader regional and economic consequences of the conflict. The seven-month-old war has disrupted oil shipments through the key maritime route and contributed to pressure on the global economy.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday that the proposal would begin a seven-day process toward reopening the strait and suspending fighting across the region.

“If there is seriousness on the US side to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared,” Araqchi told reporters at the United Nations.

He said that, if Washington accepted the proposal, the parties involved in the conflict could move toward broader negotiations covering issues agreed upon by both sides.

Those discussions could eventually include Iran’s nuclear program. Trump has repeatedly said Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. However, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran would not compromise on its nuclear-related rights, even if Washington accepted the broader peace proposal.

The Iranian official said Tehran would not agree to restrictions on uranium enrichment or to sending its highly enriched uranium out of the country.

Under the proposal, Iran would seek an end to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon. In return, according to Araqchi, the United States would be expected to lift its blockade of Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian assets and remove oil-related sanctions.

A US official previously described indirect discussions conducted through mediators as “positive and constructive,” speaking on condition of anonymity.

However, according to the Wall Street Journal, Trump remained privately doubtful that Tehran would accept his demands and had told aides that he believed another U.S. bombing campaign could be necessary.

Reuters said it had not immediately been able to independently verify the Wall Street Journal report.

Saudi allies unite

Previous attempts at diplomacy have failed to end the war, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks. Since then the war has alternated between pauses and renewed strikes, killing thousands while degrading Iran’s conventional forces and damaging Iran’s already ailing economy.

Iran and its allies have retaliated by extending the conflict throughout the region. Iran, which controls the strait along with Oman, has struck US allies in the Gulf with drones and missiles while its Houthi allies in Yemen have targeted Saudi interests. Iranian-aligned militias in Iraq were blamed for a pipeline attack that temporarily took more Saudi oil off the market. All the while, Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been engaged with Israeli forces in Lebanon.

Araqchi briefed his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan on the understanding between Iran and Oman regarding safe shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s foreign ministry said early Saturday.

The war’s widening toll has also united Saudi Arabia’s allies to shore up the kingdom’s defenses.

The Saudi-backed, internationally recognized Yemeni government has come under assault from Iran-linked Houthi fighters, with Houthi missiles striking inside the kingdom.

Yemen’s Saudi-led coalition said early Saturday it intercepted two drones launched by the Houthis towards the Saudi capital Riyadh in addition to intercepting a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Khamis Mushait.

The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and much of the north, have launched attacks against Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July, with strikes targeting Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.

The attacks have targeted Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping, adding to pressures on global oil supplies caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran and putting at risk the main alternative Red Sea route for Gulf exports while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains largely blocked.

Defense officials of Turkey and Pakistan, both partners in a joint defense pact with Saudi Arabia, met in Riyadh on Friday to review the security situation and discuss intelligence cooperation, military coordination, and integrating forces, the Saudi defense ministry said in a statement.

The statement came a day after Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish foreign ministers met within the framework of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.

The violence in Yemen has prompted a new humanitarian crisis, the United Nations children’s agency said on Friday, reporting a rise in acute malnutrition among children.