Iran to reply through mediators after reviewing U.S. response on Hormuz proposal as dispute over seven reopening conditions stalls talks

Iran is reviewing Washington’s response to its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and will convey its decision through intermediaries when that review is complete, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday. He said indirect exchanges with the United States were continuing but gave no details about their substance or when Tehran would respond.

The negotiations remain stalled over Tehran’s seven conditions for reopening the waterway and resuming talks. Iran’s security chief said Sunday that Washington’s response had not adequately addressed those conditions. Baghaei also rejected U.S. assertions that the strait had lost importance and Iran had forfeited its leverage, saying they did not reflect realities on the ground.

The two sides remain divided over the order of negotiations: Washington wants to address Iran’s nuclear program from the outset, while Tehran says the initial focus should be reopening the strait and restoring security there.

Iran submitted its proposal in mid-September, after a June interim ceasefire collapsed and intermittent strikes resumed, according to Reuters. The proposal linked reopening the Strait of Hormuz with a return to negotiations.