Iran Offers Seven-Day Plan to End War, Reopen Strait of Hormuz and Restart US Talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran has sent Washington a seven-day plan, via intermediaries, to halt hostilities, release $12 billion in frozen assets, lift the US naval blockade, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz on day seven, with nuclear talks restarting immediately after. The White House confirms indirect talks are ongoing but says the US "would not be rushed."
What happened
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that Tehran has transmitted a seven-day proposal to Washington, delivered through intermediaries, designed to end the ongoing war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Araghchi said: "We have introduced a plan to the United States through the intermediators that if certain conditions are met, the Strait of Hormuz would be open on the end of the seventh day and talks would restart," according to Newser.
Under the framework, as described by Newser citing the New York Times and reported by WION, all hostilities would cease during the seven-day period, including fighting in Lebanon. More than $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets would be released, sanctions on Iranian oil would be waived, and the US naval blockade would be lifted. The Strait of Hormuz would reopen on the seventh day, and nuclear talks would restart immediately afterward.
Araghchi said the conditions in the proposal are "nothing new" and largely mirror a June memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran that subsequently collapsed. He added that it "would be better" if a deal were reached before the US midterm elections.
The White House confirmed that indirect discussions with Iran are ongoing but declined to comment on the specifics of the proposal. An American official described the indirect talks as "positive and constructive" while stating that the United States "would not be rushed."
The proposal lands amid sharp public rhetoric from both capitals. President Donald Trump warned Iran on Tuesday that it faces a choice between agreement and "annihilation." Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in dueling UN speeches, insisted Iran will not be coerced. Pezeshkian said Tehran is willing to dilute its 60 percent-enriched uranium stockpile and allow IAEA inspectors to return if an agreement is reached.
Why it matters
The Strait of Hormuz has become the central issue in the conflict. According to the Washington Post, as cited in the findings, Tehran interpreted the June deal as giving it control over the Strait, a condition the United States treated as a dealbreaker. The waterway, through which nearly 22 million barrels of oil passed, remains a chokepoint for global energy supplies, and its closure has defined the war's economic stakes.
The proposal also arrives at a politically sensitive moment in Washington. Araghchi's suggestion that a deal "would be better" reached before the US midterm elections underscores how domestic electoral timing frames the negotiation on both sides. Ali Vaez, Iran director of the International Crisis Group, called the proposal a "smart move," saying: "They know it's very tempting for President Trump because it ends an unpopular war and brings down energy prices in the run-up [to] the midterms... But it also restores a deal that was largely favorable to the Iranians."
The offer places the administration between competing pressures. The American official's comment that the US "would not be rushed" signals reluctance to accept a timeline set by Tehran, while the White House's confirmation of ongoing indirect talks suggests a channel remains open. For Iran, the plan packages concessions Pezeshkian outlined publicly, including dilution of the 60 percent-enriched uranium stockpile and the return of IAEA inspectors, against demands for asset releases, sanctions relief, and the lifting of the naval blockade.
The collapse of the June memorandum of understanding looms over the new proposal. If the two sides disagreed then over who would control the Strait, the current offer's central promise, a reopening on day seven, revives the same question in a different form: whether a reopening managed under Iranian conditions amounts to the control Washington previously rejected. Neither side has publicly stated how the mechanics of the reopening would be governed.
The stakes extend beyond the bilateral relationship. Fighting in Lebanon is included in the proposed ceasefire scope, meaning the plan, if accepted, would pause hostilities beyond the Gulf theater. Energy markets, meanwhile, remain tied to the Strait's status, with the reported flow of nearly 22 million barrels of oil making the waterway's reopening an economic event with global consequences.
What to watch
- Whether the White House responds formally to the seven-day proposal, and whether it accepts, rejects, or counters the timeline Araghchi described.
- Any movement on the core sticking point from the June collapse: governance and control of the Strait of Hormuz during and after a reopening.
- Whether Iran follows through on Pezeshkian's stated willingness to dilute the 60 percent-enriched uranium stockpile and readmit IAEA inspectors as part of any agreement.
- Signals about electoral timing, including whether the administration's pace of engagement shifts as the midterms approach, a dynamic Vaez flagged in his assessment.
- Developments in Lebanon, which the proposal would cover under its seven-day cessation of hostilities.