Iran has proposed a seven-day roadmap aimed at ending the conflict with the United States. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi outlined the plan to reporters in New York on Thursday, according to US media. The proposal seeks to implement the conditions in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed by Washington and Tehran in June, which includes a halt to hostilities and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Reportedly passed to Washington via mediators earlier this week, Iran’s proposal asks the US to meet specific conditions within seven days to restart ceasefire talks and end the blockade affecting the strategically important strait. The restrictions on maritime traffic in Hormuz have become a key issue in the conflict due to their impact on oil and gas exports and the global economy.
The proposal, presented to reporters on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, comes as the conflict, initiated by US and Israeli strikes, approaches its seventh month. The US-Iran MoU deal expired in August as both sides accused each other of violations, and there has been little indication that they could return to the agreement, although Tehran has suggested it could happen.
Under Iran’s proposal, hostilities would cease on all fronts, including Gaza and Lebanon, within seven days, as reported by The New York Times. Washington would also release Iran’s frozen assets, estimated at no less than $12 billion, waive sanctions on Iranian oil, and lift its naval blockade. The Strait of Hormuz would reopen on the final day of the period, and talks on Iran’s nuclear program would commence immediately.
The proposal closely resembles the MoU but sets out an ambitious timetable. The Pakistani and Qatari-brokered deal signed on June 17 set a 60-day window for negotiations, which unraveled within weeks due to vague wording that led to disputes over control of shipping through the strait. The two sides exchanged attacks before US President Donald Trump declared the deal “over” on July 7.
Earlier this month, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Tehran would “immediately reciprocate” if the US returned to its commitments under the MoU. Araghchi told reporters, “We have introduced a plan to the United States through the intermediators.” An unnamed White House official told CNN that the administration was having “positive and constructive discussions through the mediators.” The New York Times quoted an official as saying that Washington would not rush into a deal.
An Iranian security source told Al Jazeera that there could be room for further diplomatic engagement if Washington met Iran’s conditions and commitments. However, analysts indicated that the proposal suggests that diplomatic efforts between the US and Iran are not advancing significantly. Cyrus Schayegh, a professor of international history and politics at the Geneva Graduate Institute, stated, “Basically nothing has really changed.” He noted that Iran insists on retaining the additional power it gained during the conflict and views the June memorandum as key to the roadmap moving forward, while the US continues to refuse to accept this roadmap debate.
No significant movement towards ending the conflict is expected before the US mid-term elections in November, according to Schayegh. Araghchi mentioned that “it would be better” to reach a deal before that vote, while Pezeshkian stated earlier that any agreements with the US would not be tied to the timing of the midterms, according to CNN.