US-Iran Talks In New York: Can Tehran’s 7-Day Plan Reopen The Strait Of Hormuz?

The United States and Iran remain engaged in indirect negotiations over a possible end to their months-long war, with Qatar continuing to shuttle messages between the two sides after the latest diplomatic push in New York. The talks have not produced a breakthrough, but the diplomatic channel remains open as mediators try to bridge a fundamental disagreement over the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions and Iran’s nuclear programme.

Iran has proposed what Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has described as a seven-point plan that sets out a seven-day process to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations over its nuclear programme if the United States lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales and agrees to a ceasefire covering the region. US President Donald Trump has rejected the proposal publicly, while Tehran says it is still waiting for a formal response through Qatari mediators.

The immediate focus is therefore on whether Washington and Tehran can agree on the first steps towards a wider settlement. Iran wants the dispute over Hormuz and the economic pressure on it addressed before moving to wider negotiations. Washington wants the nuclear programme dealt with as part of the agreement rather than in a later stage.

What is happening with the talks?

The negotiations are indirect, with Qatar acting as the main intermediary and carrying messages between Iranian and US officials.

The diplomatic push intensified on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stayed on in the city for discussions with Qatari mediators, while US officials also communicated with intermediaries.

Araghchi said a Qatari mediator had met him again in New York to discuss ways of implementing Iran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. “They had some ideas, and we discussed them,” he said, adding that the Qataris were expected to raise the matter with the US side again before conveying Washington’s response to Tehran.

Reuters reported that Qatar was continuing its shuttle diplomacy on Tuesday despite Trump denying reports that he was prepared to ease sanctions and release frozen Iranian funds in exchange for Iranian concessions on its nuclear programme. The latest diplomatic effort has so far failed to produce an agreement on reopening Hormuz or ending the fighting.

Iran says it remains prepared to negotiate, but it wants a response to its proposal before moving further. Washington has insisted that any agreement must address Iran’s nuclear programme, while Qatar is trying to find a formula that can bring the two positions closer.

What is in Iran’s seven-day plan?

The Strait of Hormuz is at the centre of Iran’s proposal.

The waterway is a major global energy route, with about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas passing through it before the war.

Under the plan, initial steps would take four to five days, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen on the sixth day and US-Iran talks on a final deal would begin on the seventh. Iran has tied the reopening to several conditions, including the lifting of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, the waiving of sanctions on Iranian oil sales and a ceasefire covering the region, including Lebanon and Yemen.

Iran has also sought the release of frozen assets. In return, Tehran has offered to resume negotiations with Washington over its nuclear programme after the immediate issues surrounding the strait are addressed.

AP reported that Araghchi presented the proposal during the UN General Assembly, with the plan seeking to reopen Hormuz and restart nuclear negotiations within the seven-day framework. Under the proposal, the immediate dispute over the waterway would be addressed before broader negotiations resume.

Hormuz has therefore become a key point of leverage in the negotiations. Tehran has argued that the US blockade, sanctions and military action must be addressed as part of any agreement.

The proposal is also being revised. Reuters reported on Monday that any further talks were expected to focus on an amended version of Iran’s seven-day proposal, indicating that mediators are still working on the details.

Why are the US and Iran still divided?

The central disagreement is over the agenda and sequence of negotiations.

Iran wants the immediate issues surrounding Hormuz, the US blockade and sanctions addressed before wider negotiations. The Trump administration, by contrast, has said that Iran’s nuclear programme must be part of any agreement.

Al Jazeera reported that Tehran is seeking to establish conditions around the reopening of Hormuz before returning to discussions on other issues, while Washington wants all outstanding matters addressed together rather than through a gradual, step-by-step process.

That difference has made the question of concessions as important as the substance of the proposed deal.

Iran does not want to reopen the waterway without securing commitments from Washington in return. The US, meanwhile, has made clear that any economic relief would be tied to concrete Iranian commitments on the nuclear programme.

There is also a dispute over what Washington has actually offered.

Trump has denied reports that he offered Iran sanctions relief or access to frozen funds in return for nuclear concessions. Accoding to earlier reporting by AP, however, said a US official had indicated that Washington could consider sanctions relief and the release of some frozen Iranian funds if Tehran made concrete progress on nuclear issues.

Araghchi has also rejected reports that Iran has shown flexibility on its nuclear position. “There has been absolutely no discussion of any flexibility,” he said, adding that Iran’s position had not changed and that “at present, the only issue is the Strait of Hormuz”.

The US has also continued imposing sanctions on Iran while the diplomatic effort is under way. That keeps economic pressure on Tehran at the same time as Qatar is attempting to negotiate an arrangement.

What happens next?

On Septemeber 29, Araghchi said he would leave New York for Tehran within hours and that Qatar knew how to convey Washington’s response. “If there is a response, the Qataris will convey it, and a decision will then be made in Tehran,” he said.

For Iran, the immediate priority remains Hormuz. Tehran wants the conditions around the blockade and sanctions addressed before moving to the wider issues. A US official told Al Jazeera that the indirect discussions were “positive and constructive”, but said there would be no agreement unless Iran’s nuclear programme was addressed.

The possibility of an amended proposal gives the mediators some room to work. Rather than requiring either side to accept the other's position in full, negotiators could seek a temporary arrangement covering Hormuz and the immediate military situation, while setting out a process for subsequent nuclear negotiations.

But that would still require both governments to accept some movement from their current positions. Iran would have to decide how much access or relief it needs before reopening the waterway, while the US would have to determine what commitments it needs from Tehran before offering economic concessions.

For now, there is no comprehensive agreement or confirmed breakthrough in the New York talks. Qatar remains the main channel between Washington and Tehran, while Iran awaits a formal response and the US has said that the nuclear programme must be part of a wider settlement.

The immediate question is whether the mediators can produce an amended arrangement that gives both sides enough to keep negotiating. If they can, the Hormuz dispute could become the starting point for a broader deal. If they cannot, the diplomatic channel may remain open without producing a settlement.

The talks have achieved one thing: Washington and Tehran are still communicating. The harder question is whether they can agree on what comes first.