Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing tensions in West Asia. Tehran says that the sea route can be restored in two days if the US administration agrees to its demands.
During the ongoing tension between Iran and America, a new diplomatic development has come to light regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has indicated that the vital sea route could be reopened within 48 hours if the US government accepts Tehran’s conditions. Qatar’s mediation is said to be important in taking this proposal forward. Through talks between the two sides, earlier a period of five days was discussed to implement the proposal, but now it has been said that it will be reduced to two days. At present, an official response to this offer is awaited from US President Donald Trump.
Long talks between Tehran and Doha
According to the Iranian Foreign Minister, after discussions with Qatari representatives, a timeline for rapid implementation of the proposal was agreed upon. Earlier on Friday, talks between Iranian and Qatari representatives lasted for about 12 hours in Tehran. During this period, contact was also maintained with America. Qatar’s role has been to convey messages between the two sides and take forward negotiations. Iran claims that through mediation it has succeeded in reducing the period for implementing the proposal.
Iran placed many important conditions
Tehran’s demands include the removal of sanctions that were imposed after the ‘Islamabad Memorandum’. Apart from this, Iran is demanding reduction of US military presence in the region, reinstatement of oil concessions and release of its financial assets frozen abroad. The demand for return of Iranian funds kept in Qatar is also said to be included in this list. Iran wants formal recognition of the sea route developed in talks with Oman for ships to pass through Hormuz. At the same time, Tehran has also raised the demand to end the conflict on various fronts in the region and stop Israeli military action especially in Lebanon.
Iranian security official gave strict warning
Before this diplomatic initiative, Iran’s senior security official Mohsen Rezai had made it clear that the strait would remain closed until Tehran’s conditions were met. He also warned that in the event of an attack on Iran, new weapons could be used to respond. It is clear from this statement that along with talks, Iran is also continuing its military warning.
Pressure on talks due to Trump’s threat
In this entire incident, American Vice President J.D. The letter sent by Vance to Rezai is also considered important. According to reports, there was a proposal for direct dialogue and it was said to include Iran’s nuclear program in the agenda of talks. On the other hand, Trump has claimed that Iran wants to talk and discussions are moving forward. Despite this, he has also warned of new attacks on Iran’s remaining nuclear sites. Now the biggest question is whether America will consider Iran’s conditions and whether the Strait of Hormuz will actually be reopened.