Iran’s Foreign Minister Says He Expects a U.S. Response Tuesday on Plan to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s foreign minister said he expects a formal US response on Tuesday to Tehran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to state media, as diplomatic efforts intensify to end the standoff over the vital waterway.

Abbas Araghchi, who is in New York for the UN General Assembly, said Qatari intermediaries had “presented ideas, and we discussed them.” He added that the Qataris “are set to raise the matter with the American side once more, after which the final US response will be conveyed to us.”

“The Qataris hope this will be done by tomorrow,” Araghchi said late Monday.

The Iranian diplomat stressed that the negotiations were narrowly focused on the strait, which has been at the center of the conflict between Washington and Tehran since US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.

“The current focus is solely on the Strait of Hormuz, and the reopening of the strait is contingent upon the fulfilment of certain conditions that we have communicated to the other side,” he said.

The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most important oil chokepoint. Before the war, it carried roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. Iran imposed a blockade on the shipping route after the war began, prompting Washington to retaliate with its own blockade on Iranian ports.

Last week, discussions were held in New York between Araghchi and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, according to reports.

As a precondition for ending its blockade, Iran is demanding a seven-day ceasefire across the Middle East, including in Lebanon, where its ally Hezbollah has been battling Israeli forces. Tehran is also seeking the unfreezing of Iranian assets abroad, the lifting of sanctions on its oil sector, and an end to the US naval blockade.

It remains unclear whether Washington is prepared to meet those conditions or offer counterproposals. The expected US response on Tuesday could determine whether the fragile diplomatic opening gains momentum or collapses.