Araghchi Ties Hormuz Reopening to Iran's Conditions, Says US Has Been Offered a Solution

Iran's foreign minister says Washington must want peace or a deal, and repeats that the Supreme Leader's terms must be met before the Strait of Hormuz reopens.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that if the United States wants a deal or peace, Iran has already offered a solution. He repeated that the conditions set by Iran's Supreme Leader must be met before the Strait of Hormuz can reopen.

The statement echoes what Iranian officials have said for weeks. On September 25, Iran's deputy chairman of the National Security Committee said the strait would stay shut and no nuclear talks would proceed until Iran's terms are met. An Iranian official has also said the strait, not the nuclear program, is now the central issue in talks, and Iran has proposed delaying its nuclear commitments until after an initial phase of any agreement.

Qatari mediators said earlier Monday they hoped for a US response by Tuesday. Araghchi's remarks, tying reopening to conditions approved by the Supreme Leader rather than to specific terms, and placing the burden on Washington to show it wants peace, gave no sign that Tehran is softening its position ahead of that deadline.

Trump has said he did not offer Iran sanctions relief. Iran's state news agency reported a blast heard off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, and state television said the sound was likely from warning shots fired; an earlier explosion sound near the island was reported to have come from the sea nearby, with no damage found.

Deadlines in the standoff have slipped before without resolution, and Araghchi's comments keep the impasse in place. The statement introduces no new operational threat to shipping through the strait, but it argues against any near-term reopening, reinforcing the bearish view on quick de-escalation between the two sides.