Iran links Strait of Hormuz reopening to US acceptance of 7-day deal

Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until the United States accepts a seven-day proposal to de-escalate regional tensions, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday, 20 October. The statement follows indirect negotiations held through mediators in Pakistan and Qatar, where Tehran presented a specific timeline for reopening the strategic maritime passage. The Seven-Day Initiative Under the proposed deal, Iran would fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz on the sixth day of the agreement. Araghchi told Iraq’s Al Ekhbariya television that while Washington had nominally agreed to the terms, it had requested additional provisions that Tehran currently deems unacceptable. "If they adhere to these conditions, they should know that the strait will be fully reopened," Araghchi said, adding that further negotiations for a final agreement would follow. Tehran is demanding that the US fulfill all commitments under the Islamabad memorandum as a prerequisite for broader talks. The conflict over the waterway, which carries approximately 20% of the world's daily oil consumption, has significantly disrupted global energy markets and shipping routes. Uranium Stockpile Dispute Compounding the diplomatic friction, Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, stated on Tuesday that the country would not export its nuclear material. "Not a single gram of enriched uranium will be removed from Iran," Rezaei wrote on the social media platform X, following a…