Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says his country has proposed a deal to the US that would see the Strait of Hormuz reopened within a week.
Araghchi told reporters at the UN in New York that this could be done “if the necessary conditions are met” and said these were contained within the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in June.
“The choice now rests with the United States,” he said, adding the plan was delivered to the US via Qatar.
Asked about the Iranian offer, a US official told the BBC positive discussions were taking place through mediators, including about nuclear issues.
While the US has yet to deliver its official response to the proposal, the Wall Street Journal reported that US President Donald Trump had rejected the deal., external
Trump was privately sceptical that Iran would meet his demands, it reported, and had told his staff that he saw a renewed bombing campaign as likely.
The US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on 28 February. Iran responded by attacking Israel and US bases in the Gulf and Arab Gulf allies of the US – as well as blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
Some 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas used to pass through the strait before the war and its closure has caused wild fluctuations of energy prices.
It has also increased pressure on Trump to find a way of ending the conflict – particularly as the US heads to Congressional elections in November.
“If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, a normal maritime passage restored within seven days,” Araghchi told reporters.
He did not specify what steps Iran wanted the US to take but added that “the actions that the United States should take are not new. They are all already in the MOU”.
“I can tell you if there is seriousness in the US side to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared,” he added.
A US official told the BBC that the US was “in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz, so we are not in a rush”.
In an interview with CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that the ceasefire process “will begin from the very day they accept it”.
“We had previously reached an agreement based on the MOU that was signed in Pakistan… if the United States agrees to proceed in that way, everything will return to the way it was before,” he added.
Pezeshkian also said Iran would now allow UN nuclear inspectors into the country.
Rejecting claims that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon, the Iranian president said: “If they wish to come in and have inspections, we can reach accords and agreements vis-à-vis that specific topic within the negotiations.”
