Iran Says Hormuz Could Reopen in Two Days if US Meets Its Terms

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that a plan discussed with Qatari mediators could fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if the United States meets Tehran's conditions, the Associated Press reported. President Donald Trump, speaking at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday night, said negotiations with Iran were going fine and that Washington was in no hurry to reach a deal.

How the two day plan would work

Araghchi told Al Jazeera that Qatar had first proposed cutting the implementation period of Iran's reopening plan from seven days to five, and that the talks had now produced a two day version. On the first day, the United States would carry out a series of measures. On the second day, the strait would reopen and maritime traffic would resume, he said.

According to the Iranian news agency Tasnim's account of the interview, Tehran's conditions include sanctions relief, a reduction of US forces in the region, restored oil waivers and the release of frozen Iranian assets, including about 6 billion dollars held in Qatar. Araghchi also sought recognition of the shipping route through the strait that Iran discussed with Oman, with other routes closed.

An Iranian delegation was in Doha on Saturday for consultations with mediators, after a Qatari team held lengthy talks in Tehran the day before, Reuters reported. Araghchi said Iran had reviewed a letter from Vice President JD Vance and called the American offer of dialogue a positive step. He said Tehran had no immediate plans to meet US officials, and that much of what was being circulated about the talks was media speculation.

Threats run alongside the talks

Trump told reporters at his Florida club that the United States had knocked out Iran's navy, air force and air defences, and that it could strike Iran's remaining nuclear sites in ten minutes. He named Pickaxe Mountain as one of one or two targets still to be dealt with. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump had not decided whether to launch fresh strikes and still preferred diplomacy.

Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei said the tone of the Vance letter had changed completely, which he called a good sign. He also said Tehran would not reopen the strait before its conditions were met, and that ships using a reopened strait would follow the route agreed with Oman under Iranian management.

Why it matters

Iran effectively closed the strait when the US and Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, and the waterway normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil. Brent crude settled on Friday at 117.64 dollars a barrel, its highest close in six months. Iran presented a seven day reopening plan in September, and Trump rejected it on September 26. US officials have warned Gulf allies to prepare for possible renewed strikes after the November 3 midterm elections. Whether the two day plan moves now depends on Washington's answer to conditions it has not publicly accepted.