Why have US-Iran talks over the Strait of Hormuz hit a deadlock?
Iran says it is still reviewing the US response on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and will reply through mediators. Talks have stalled over Tehran's seven conditions and the nuclear issue.
3 min readOct 13, 2026 07:15 AM IST First published on: Oct 13, 2026 at 07:04 AM IST
US President Donald Trump and Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei. (File Photo)
Iran is still reviewing the US response to its proposal on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and will reply to Washington through intermediaries once the review is done, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, according to Reuters. Speaking at a press conference, Baghaei said Iran and the US are still passing messages through mediators, but he gave no details.
The talks have stalled since Iran’s security chief said on Sunday that the US response did not meet Tehran’s seven conditions for reopening the waterway. The strait carried about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade before the war.
Qatar and Pakistan, among others, have acted as mediators in efforts to end the war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February, Reuters said. An interim ceasefire in June broke down, and on-off strikes began again. Iran presented its proposal in mid-September and later confirmed it had received a US reply. Since then the process has made little progress.
Why the talks have stalled
Iran’s security chief said on Sunday that the US response did not deal properly with Tehran’s seven conditions for reopening Hormuz and returning to negotiations.
A main point of dispute is Iran’s nuclear programme. Washington wants to deal with it from the start, while Tehran says the first talks should focus on reopening the strait and restoring security in the waterway.
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Iran offers help on Saudi-Houthi fighting
Baghaei also spoke about the rising conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis, who are allied with Iran. He repeated that Tehran is ready to help end the crisis through dialogue.
He said Yemen’s problems should have been settled long ago under the UN roadmap, and that Iran would back any deal agreed by Yemenis and Saudis. “Our request is that this situation be resolved through dialogue,” he said.
IRGC chief warns outside powers; foreign minister points to diplomacy
Major-General Ahmad Vahidi, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said in a statement that powers from outside the region have no right to threaten or interfere in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran is pursuing diplomacy “seriously” to protect its national interests, according to his Telegram channel. He said Iran’s priorities include using economic diplomacy to end US and Western sanctions.
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