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Iran says reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on the United States providing “objective guarantees” that it will end the war on all fronts and meet commitments under a seven-day diplomatic initiative proposed by Tehran, the official IRNA news agency reported Thursday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told “Russia-1” television that Iran is also seeking the release of frozen assets, an end to the blockade and other measures.
What Iran’s seven-day proposal requires
Under the initiative, Washington would first take steps sought by Tehran, including ending hostilities, releasing frozen Iranian assets, lifting oil restrictions and ending the naval blockade.
Iran would then be ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin negotiations on a final agreement within the seven-day framework.
Khatibzadeh said Tehran sent the proposal to Washington through Qatar and later received the US response via the Qatari mediator. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi gave Iran’s initial response to the mediator during a brief stop on his return from New York, he added.
“The ball is in the US court,” Khatibzadeh said.
He said Tehran continued to seek a diplomatic solution despite what he described as repeated US breaches of previous understandings, while maintaining maximum defensive readiness for “any scenario.”
Diplomatic efforts follow stalled understanding
The latest diplomatic initiative follows an understanding reached by Iran and the US in Islamabad on June 18, with Pakistan and Qatar acting as mediators. It included provisions to end hostilities, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and start a new round of negotiations. Implementation later stalled amid renewed tensions between Tehran and Washington.
The US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran retaliated against Israeli targets and US military facilities across the region. The conflict also severely disrupted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies.
Iran has since tied the full reopening of the strait to an end to hostilities, sanctions relief, the release of frozen assets and implementation of commitments it says Washington previously made.
Iran calls for closer cooperation with Russia and China
On relations with Russia, Khatibzadeh said the countries’ strategic partnership was expanding in economic, political, security, military and cultural fields, while “many potential and untapped capacities remain.”
He called for closer cooperation among Iran, Russia and China in response to what he described as US violations of international law.
Initiatives including BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization address problems in the international system and offer hope for a “fairer world” based on accepted rules, he said.
