Iran Gets US Reply to Hormuz Plan; Sequencing Is the Sticking Point
Araghchi took Washington’s answer to Iran’s cabinet; a briefed official says both sides agree on the steps of the seven-day plan but not their order.
TEHRAN — Sep 30, 2026 — Iran said Wednesday that it has received Washington’s response to its seven-day plan for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and an official briefed on the talks told Reuters that the main disagreement is the order of the steps rather than the steps themselves. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented the U.S. document to President Masoud Pezeshkian’s cabinet, government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
What Tehran has said
Mohajerani did not disclose what the American response contains or what Iran will do next, Anadolu Agency reported. Araghchi received the reply during talks with Qatari mediators in Doha on Tuesday night, according to Iran International, which cited Reuters. He also briefed ministers on his trip to the UN General Assembly in New York and on Iran’s conditions for reopening the strait, the Mehr news agency reported.
Iran has said those conditions include an end to U.S. military and economic pressure, the release of frozen or restricted assets and agreement on a safe shipping route, Anadolu reported. Tehran conveyed them to Washington through Qatar during a two-hour exchange on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week. Iran has kept the strait restricted while demanding that the United States meet commitments under a June memorandum of understanding, Anadolu said, and Pezeshkian said Tehran is making “every possible effort” to ensure the Islamabad memorandum succeeds.
“At present, the only issue is the Strait of Hormuz,” Araghchi said, in remarks carried by Iran International. “Iran’s conditions are entirely fair and reasonable.”
The sequencing dispute
The briefed official said the document in circulation describes a seven-day trust-building period meant to return both governments to an enhanced version of the June memorandum, including concrete steps on Iran’s nuclear program, according to Iran International and HNGN. HNGN reported that Iran’s version asks Washington to halt military operations, release roughly $12 billion in frozen assets, lift oil sanctions and end the naval blockade, with the strait reopening on day seven. That account comes from a single outlet.
President Donald Trump rejected the plan on Saturday. As reported by HNGN, he said it would require the United States to ease pressure before Iran acted on the nuclear file. Iran International reported that Trump said Iran would eventually “give up” but that the point had not yet been reached. The HNGN report also said he denied on social media that he had offered sanctions relief, calling the claim a “HOAX.” The Anadolu report noted that the June memorandum was signed but that implementation stalled over security in the waterway.
Pressure continues on the water and in Washington
Shipping risks persist. The UK Maritime Trade Operations center said a tanker heading into the strait was struck by an unknown projectile and that authorities were investigating, Iran International reported; it had earlier cited a fire on another vessel on Monday evening that was extinguished with the crew safe. Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi said Iranian forces were targeting ships every 24 hours, and Iraqi parliament speaker Haibat al-Halbousi said Iran had given Iraqi tankers no exemption from navigation restrictions.
The Wall Street Journal, as cited by Iran International, reported that oil shipments through the strait and alternative routes have returned to nearly 80% of pre-war regional levels. Iran’s deputy Guards commander Mostafa Izadi said Iran is rapidly expanding its missile, drone and air-defense capabilities.
The next marker is Tehran’s answer. Government spokeswoman Mohajerani said Iran is “not afraid of war” and does “not run away from negotiations,” Iran International reported. No Iranian official has said whether the American document is a basis for further talks, and neither government has publicly accepted a sequence that would let both claim the first move.
Sources
- Anadolu: Iran receives US response to Qatari-mediated proposal
- Iran International: Iran takes US response to cabinet, Hormuz clashes continue
- HNGN: Iran Gets Formal US Answer on Hormuz Plan as Sequencing Splits Sides
