November 2, 2026
In a move that may pave the way for reducing tension between Tehran and Washington, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday its readiness to reduce the proposed deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz from seven days to two days, provided that the United States responds to Iranian demands.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei explained that “the possibility of implementing this plan within two days is additional evidence of Iran’s good faith,” stressing that the return of security to the waterway and the resumption of negotiations are possible in a short period if Iranian conditions are met, and pointing in the context to the continuation of indirect contacts and the exchange of messages through intermediaries.
These developments come as an extension of a previous proposal announced by the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, to open the Strait within a week. Tehran is currently studying the American response that it recently received through mediating parties, most notably the State of Qatar, which is leading diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement that will stop the conflict that has been ongoing since late last February following American and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Tehran adheres to a package of conditions that includes seven main demands to complete the agreement, most notably ending the war in the Middle East on all fronts, releasing frozen Iranian assets, lifting sanctions on the oil sector, and ending the naval blockade imposed by Washington in response to Iran’s targeting of passing ships without prior permission. Despite receiving the American response, the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council indicated earlier that the negotiations had faltered as a result of the American side not responding to all Iranian conditions.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important global strategic passages, as about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied gas supplies passed through it before the outbreak of war, making the navigation crisis in it a decisive and influential element on energy markets and international supply chains, awaiting the results of the current mediation rounds.
