Iran Hands US a 7-Day Plan to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz: "The Choice Now Rests With America"

Date: October 18, 2026

Iran has offered the United States a concrete plan to restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced Saturday at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Baghdad — putting the decision squarely in Washington's hands.

"Through Qatar, we have conveyed a specific plan for seven days. If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened and normal maritime activity restored within seven days. The decision now rests with the United States," Araghchi told the 52nd Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC.

The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran remains committed to safe navigation through the strategic waterway — through which a huge share of the world's oil passes — but blamed the current disruption on American and Israeli military action and the US naval blockade.

"You cannot bomb a country, threaten to destroy it, and impose a blockade, and then expect maritime security to return to normal," he said.

What Iran wants in return

Tehran is demanding credible guarantees against renewed attacks before any agreement takes effect. "Iran does not accept coercion, threats and intimidation and will not relinquish its sovereign rights under pressure. But it remains ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and credible guarantees," Araghchi said, speaking to Iran's state news agency IRNA.

According to reports of the plan, Iran is asking Washington to ease its naval blockade, loosen restrictions on Iranian oil exports, and release frozen Iranian assets — and wants an end to hostilities "on all fronts," including Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

President Donald Trump has previously rejected similar Iranian terms. Last month he called Tehran's conditions "unacceptable," arguing the US holds full control of the strait and a stronger negotiating position while Iran is "losing so badly." The White House has not yet commented on this latest proposal.

Built on the Islamabad memorandum

Araghchi pointed to an earlier diplomatic track that he said had shown results: a June 17 memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the US in Islamabad, mediated by Pakistan with Qatar's support, under which Iran committed to facilitating safe passage of commercial vessels and opened technical talks with Oman.

Within two weeks of that agreement, Araghchi said, maritime traffic had recovered to about 60 percent of pre-war levels — before what he called unilateral US steps and military attacks derailed it.

Why it matters for American wallets

Shipping through Hormuz remains roughly 70 percent below pre-war levels, according to regional reporting, and energy markets are on edge. The International Energy Agency-style math is simple: every disrupted barrel pushes crude and gasoline prices higher. Trump himself told a Kentucky rally Saturday that the Iran war will end "very quickly" and gas prices will fall when it does — but the White House still has to decide whether to accept, reject, or counter Iran's latest offer.

The decision, as Araghchi put it, "now rests with the United States."

---

Sources: Al Jazeera (reporting on OIC Baghdad session); Gulf News live coverage; IRNA (via Turkiye Today); Vietnam News Agency (vietnam.vn); Tasnim News Agency (via Voice of Vienna).