Iran on Saturday awaited a formal response from the United States regarding a diplomatic proposal aimed at reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz and halting hostilities across the Middle East, following reports that US President Donald Trump had rejected the initiative .
The diplomatic initiative was raised at the United Nations General Assembly in New York and conveyed to Washington through Qatari mediators. Under the proposal, the strategic waterway would be reopened and regional hostilities halted within seven days, reports Reuters.
The proposal comes as the seven-month-old conflict continues to disrupt oil flows through one of the world’s most important shipping routes, placing a heavy strain on the global economy.
Terms of the Iranian proposal
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said at the UN on Friday that an agreement would trigger a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait and pausing fighting across the region.
“If there is seriousness on the US side to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared,” Araqchi told reporters.
He said that if Washington agreed, the warring parties could begin broader negotiations on “mutually agreed subjects”, potentially including Iran’s nuclear programme.
However, while Trump has vowed that Tehran will never acquire a nuclear bomb, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran would show no flexibility over its nuclear programme even if Washington accepted the peace deal.
The Iranian official said Tehran would make no concessions on its rights, including enriching uranium or shipping its highly enriched uranium out of the country.
Under the proposal, hostilities would stop on all fronts, including in Lebanon, in exchange for the United States lifting its blockade on Iranian ports, releasing Iran’s frozen funds and waiving oil sanctions.
US stance and strategic doubts
A US official, speaking anonymously, had previously described talks conducted through mediators as “positive and constructive”. However, Trump remains privately sceptical that Tehran will meet his demands.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Trump told his staff that he viewed a renewed bombing campaign as likely. Reuters said it could not immediately confirm the report.
Previous diplomatic efforts have failed to end the war, which began on 28 February with US and Israeli attacks. The conflict has since alternated between temporary pauses and renewed strikes, killing thousands, weakening Iran’s conventional military forces and further damaging its struggling economy.
Regional escalation and shipping disruption
Iran and its regional allies have expanded the conflict across the Middle East.
Iran, which controls the Strait of Hormuz alongside Oman, has attacked US allies in the Gulf with drones and missiles, while its Houthi allies in Yemen have targeted Saudi interests.
Iranian-aligned militias in Iraq were also blamed for a pipeline attack that temporarily removed additional Saudi oil from the market. Meanwhile, Iranian-backed Hezbollah remains engaged in fighting with Israeli forces in Lebanon.
In diplomatic talks with regional counterparts, Araqchi briefed Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan early Saturday on an understanding reached between Iran and Oman concerning safe shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi alliances and the Yemeni front
The widening impact of the war has brought Saudi Arabia’s allies together to strengthen the kingdom’s defence capabilities.
The Saudi-backed, internationally recognised Yemeni government continues to face heavy attacks from Iran-linked Houthi fighters, whose missiles have struck deep inside Saudi territory.
Early Saturday, Yemen’s Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted two Houthi-launched drones targeting the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as well as a ballistic missile launched towards Khamis Mushait.
The Houthis, who control northern Yemen and its most populous areas, have continued attacks against Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July and targeting Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.
The strikes on Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping have increased pressure on global oil supplies, already strained by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
They also threaten the main alternative Red Sea export route for Gulf nations while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains largely blocked.
Military co-operation and humanitarian crisis
Defence officials from Turkey and Pakistan, both partners in a joint defence pact with Saudi Arabia, met in Riyadh on Friday to review the security situation, intelligence co-operation, military co-ordination and force integration.
The meeting came a day after the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey met under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.
Meanwhile, the United Nations children’s agency reported on Friday that escalating violence in Yemen has triggered a new humanitarian crisis, with a sharp increase in acute malnutrition among children.
