Iran Awaits US Reply on Hormuz Reopening as Mediators Shuttle

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said late Monday that Tehran expects a formal United States response on Tuesday to its proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as Qatari mediators shuttle between the sides in a renewed bid to end seven months of war. Araghchi, still in New York after the UN General Assembly, said Qataris had presented ideas and would raise them again with Washington before conveying a final answer. Iran has tied any reopening of the vital waterway—which carried roughly a fifth of global oil and LNG before the conflict—to a regional ceasefire, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, oil-sanctions relief and an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Tehran has outlined a roughly seven-day sequence for those steps and nuclear talks. President Donald Trump called the plan “unacceptable” on Saturday, saying Iran wants a quick deal under economic pressure, yet confirmed Monday that US officials had spoken separately with mediators. Middle East crude exports have rebounded toward their highest level since fighting began in February, though Hormuz clearances remain well below pre-war baselines, according to tanker-tracking firm Kpler. US retail diesel prices have hovered near a record around US$6.53 a gallon.