Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei backed Tehran’s latest proposal to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the United States accepts its conditions.
Pezeshkian said the proposal had been coordinated with Khamenei as Tehran seeks to revive negotiations with Washington and end the conflict that has disrupted shipping through the vital waterway.
‘Coordination with the leader of the revolution (the supreme leader)… has been carried out,’ Pezeshkian said in an interview with CBS, excerpts of which were released by Iran’s state news agency IRNA.
‘If the US accepts it and fulfils its obligations, we will do the same, and there will be no issue in this regard,’ he added.
The proposal was formally presented by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Tehran said the plan would allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen to normal maritime traffic within seven days after the required conditions are met.
Araghchi said the proposal had been conveyed to Washington through Qatar, giving the United States a framework for ending hostilities and restarting negotiations.
‘The seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan,’ Araghchi said.
Under the proposal, Iran would reopen the waterway while Washington would be required to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, ease sanctions on Iranian oil exports and release frozen Iranian assets estimated at $12bn.
The plan also calls for a cessation of hostilities across the region, including Lebanon and Yemen, according to details released by Iranian officials.
‘The choice now rests with the United States. Iran does not accept coercion, threats or intimidation, and Iran will not surrender its sovereign rights under pressure,’ Araghchi said.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a major pressure point in the conflict between Iran and the United States because of its importance to global energy supplies. Before the conflict, about a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas passed through the waterway.
Pezeshkian said a six-member Iranian team involving representatives from the military, parliament and government had been authorised to negotiate and make decisions on the proposal.
He also said Tehran remained willing to honour any commitments it formally makes under a new agreement with Washington.
The latest proposal builds on a memorandum of understanding reached between Iran and the United States in June, which later collapsed following disagreements over shipping arrangements and other terms.