US offers to lift Iran sanctions for reopening Strait of Hormuz

The United States has reportedly offered to dismantle its "Operation Economic Outcast," lift all primary sanctions, and end a naval blockade if Tehran reopens the Strait of Hormuz and halts proxy attacks, according to details emerging on Wednesday, 26 August. The proposal, conveyed by Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir during a high-level visit to Tehran, seeks to revive elements of a June 2026 memorandum of understanding. Munir met with Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, to deliver the terms. The diplomatic push follows an announcement by US President Donald Trump that the US Navy has successfully cleared or detonated mines in the international waters of the strategic waterway. Iran and Oman discuss corridor Despite the US overture, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated on Wednesday that the Strait remains closed and under Iranian control. In a televised address, he rejected claims that commercial vessels are currently transiting the passage, asserting that any reopening must occur under Tehran’s specific security arrangements due to the ongoing state of war. Concurrently, Iran and Oman have entered technical discussions to establish a temporary joint navigational corridor. A joint statement released by Muscat confirmed that Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi are working on a phased framework. This includes a joint mine-clearing project and a mechanism for traffic…