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Iran is reviewing a response from the United States to its seven-day proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said, as the two countries continue indirect contacts over the plan more than a week after it was first presented.
The proposal was outlined by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during meetings at the United Nations in New York and transmitted to Washington through intermediary countries, according to Iran's Tesnim News Agency.
The US side has since relayed its own assessment of the plan back to Tehran through the same channels, Gharibabadi said.
Gharibabadi said Iranian officials were examining the American feedback through their own internal processes before issuing a formal reply.
"These views are currently under review in Iran. If the Islamic Republic of Iran's final response is prepared, the necessary steps will be taken through the appropriate channels," Gharibabadi said, signaling that no conclusive decision had yet been reached.
The deputy foreign minister added that Iran was prepared for "all scenarios," without elaborating on what alternative measures that might entail.
Under the proposal, the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which a significant share of the world's seaborne oil trade passes, would reopen if the United States meets certain conditions set by Tehran. The plan envisions that step as a prelude to broader negotiations aimed at a final agreement between the two countries.
Neither Tesnim's report nor Gharibabadi's remarks specified the exact conditions Iran has attached to the proposal.
President Donald Trump said late last month that he had rejected the Iranian plan to reopen the strait within seven days. Despite that rejection, Iran has said talks through mediating nations are continuing, and Gharibabadi's latest comments suggest the two sides are still exchanging positions on the proposal rather than having abandoned the process.
The Strait of Hormuz has long been a flashpoint in tensions between Iran and the West, with Tehran periodically signaling it could restrict passage through the chokepoint amid disputes with Washington.
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