TEHRAN | Iran has received the United States’ response to its latest proposal aimed at ending the war and restoring maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, but Tehran has not disclosed Washington’s position on the key conditions under discussion.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi received the U.S. response through Qatari mediators in Doha on Sept. 29, according to Reuters. Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani confirmed that Araghchi subsequently presented the response to President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Cabinet, but officials did not immediately disclose its contents or say whether Washington had accepted or rejected the proposal.
A separate official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters that the latest U.S. feedback concerned Iran’s seven-day confidence-building plan, with the main disagreement reportedly centered on the sequencing of measures rather than the elements of the proposal itself.
Iran presented the seven-day plan during the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week as another attempt to break the deadlock in negotiations. Under the proposal, Iran would move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz after conditions involving the cessation of hostilities, the lifting of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, relief from oil sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian assets were addressed. The two sides would then resume negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program and other unresolved issues.
U.S. President Donald Trump had publicly rejected the Iranian proposal over the weekend, but later said he expected negotiations to continue. U.S. and Iranian officials have since communicated indirectly through mediators, including Qatar, as efforts continue to find a framework for ending the conflict.
The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the negotiations because it is one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes, connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Restrictions on shipping through the waterway have disrupted oil markets and added pressure to an already strained global energy system.
The latest diplomatic effort follows earlier ceasefire arrangements between Washington and Tehran that broke down. Reuters reported that the United States and Iran had previously reached mediated ceasefires in April and June, but both agreements subsequently unraveled. The current conflict began in late February after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, according to Reuters.
The crisis also comes against the longer history of confrontation over Iran’s nuclear program. The 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and major world powers placed restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, but the United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under then-President Trump and restored broad sanctions on Iran.
Meanwhile, Washington has imposed additional sanctions targeting Iran-linked military supply networks as diplomatic efforts continue. Iran is facing severe economic pressure, while the prolonged conflict and disruption of maritime trade have increased uncertainty across the region.
For now, Tehran is reviewing Washington’s response while mediators continue working to narrow the differences. The contents of the latest U.S. response have not been publicly released, leaving the next stage of the negotiations uncertain.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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