Iran says its 7-day plan to reopen Hormuz Strait still on table

TEHRAN, Oct 19: Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran's proposed seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is "still on the table."

Araghchi made the remarks in an interview with Iran's official news agency IRNA on the sidelines of the 52nd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

He said Iran's conditions for ceasing hostilities and reopening the strait were "completely clear" and had been submitted to the United States under the seven-day plan.

Washington has presented its views on the plan, which Tehran is reviewing, he added.

"Iran's plan is still on the table," Araghchi said. "If they (the United States) meet those conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened on the sixth day, and negotiations will resume on the seventh."

He said that Iran's conditions were neither extraordinary nor unusual, adding that they were the same commitments "the United States had already committed itself in the peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) and other negotiations."

Araghchi emphasized that Iran will not bow to threats and is prepared to defend itself, while remaining ready to pursue diplomacy.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8. On June 18, Iran and the United States signed a MoU on ending the war in the region on all fronts.

Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on Aug. 17, to reach a final agreement on Iran's nuclear program and the removal of sanctions. However, they failed to make sufficient progress toward a deal.