Tehran challenges US on reopening Hormuz in two days

Iran yesterday said it was ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if the US agree 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,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.

“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 added.

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, September 28, 2026.

Photo: Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

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

“Only then can we discuss the subsequent stages,” he said.

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 authorization, 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, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi said Washington must accept a new route agreed between Iran and Oman for transit through the strait.

The US must also remove sanctions imposed in recent months and reduce US troop numbers in the region, he said.

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

The US 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,” Baqaei said during a foreign ministry briefing yesterday.