Iran says ready to reopen Hormuz in two days if US agrees to demands

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Monday said it was ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if the US agrees to its conditions, having previously proposed a one-week timeline.

"The possibility of implementing this plan in two days is another indication of Iran's good-faith approach," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.

"We have stated that, if Iran's demands are met, it would be possible to restore security to the Strait of Hormuz and resume the negotiating process within a short period."

He said an exchange of messages was ongoing with the United States via mediators and that "everything depends" on the US side accepting the Iranian demands.

"Only then can we discuss the subsequent stages."

Since the Middle East war broke out in late February, Iran has claimed control over Hormuz, a vital energy conduit for shipping.

It regularly targets vessels that attempt to cross the strait without its authorisation, while the US has in retaliation imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

In September, Iran initially proposed a seven-day plan that it conveyed to the US through Qatar, which would have seen Tehran reopen Hormuz on the sixth day after the US met Iranian demands.

Those demands include ending the Middle East war on all fronts, the unfreezing of Iranian assets abroad, lifting sanctions on its oil sector, and an end to the US naval blockade.

In an interview with Al Jazeera released on Sunday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington must accept a new route agreed between Iran and Oman for transit through the strait.

He said the US must also remove sanctions imposed in recent months and reduce American troop numbers in the region.

Washington has since August rolled out a fresh raft of sanctions, part of what it called "economic asphyxiation" of Iran.

The United States and Israel have in recent days also intensified threats to renew attacks on Iran amid crucial elections in both countries.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said he still had to "take care" of one or two targets including Pickaxe mountain in central Iran, a suspected nuclear site which Tehran denies is such a facility.

"Any act of aggression against Iran, any military attack against Iran, by whatever means, will be met with a powerful, immediate and comprehensive response from us," said Baqaei during a foreign ministry briefing Monday.

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