Araghchi Says Iran’s Hormuz Conditions Are ‘Feasible’ If U.S. Shows Goodwill

State news agency IRNA reported on Monday that Iran has tied the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the resumption of negotiations, to U.S. acceptance of its conditions. The report draws on Araghchi’s interview with Al Jazeera, aired on Sunday. IRNA and Dawn carried his remarks on Monday. Clash Report has covered the two-day plan he described in the same interview.

Nothing Extraordinary

In IRNA’s English translation, Araghchi said: “There is nothing extraordinary about these conditions, and all of them are feasible if the US side demonstrates goodwill, has a genuine will to reach an agreement, and is truly seeking a peaceful solution.”

He said the measures expected of Washington were largely already set out in the Islamabad memorandum, signed in mid-June.

The Four Conditions

IRNA listed four demands:

• Lift the new U.S. sanctions imposed after the Islamabad memorandum.
• Return the U.S. military presence in the region to its previous level.
• End the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.
• Implement the planned oil sanctions waivers.

Other reports on the interview list further demands, including the release of frozen Iranian assets, among them funds held in Qatar. They also include U.S. acceptance of a new Iran–Oman transit route and an end to the war on all fronts, Lebanon among them. Euronews has the wider picture.

Hormuz First, Then Talks

Araghchi set out a strict order of events. In IRNA’s translation, he said: “Our policy is clear: first, we must address the Strait of Hormuz and ensure its reopening through the implementation of Iran’s conditions. Then, we will discuss issues of interest to both sides and decide how to proceed.”

Reports on the plan say Iran wants full sanctions relief from any talks, while the U.S. has prioritized the nuclear file.

Mediators and the Trust Gap

Araghchi said consultations through Qatari and Pakistani mediators were “very intense,” according to an IRNA flash carried by wire services. He said the mediators were trying to bring the two stages closer together and to ensure that the measures taken help build trust.

Trust, he said, is the biggest obstacle. According to IRNA, he said Iran had been attacked three times in two years while diplomacy was under way, and that the U.S. violated the 2015 nuclear deal and breached the June memorandum less than two weeks after signing it. He said confidence-building proposals were under consideration.

In another clip from the interview, he said the only guarantee for any agreement is Iran’s armed forces.

Foreign Ministry Backs the Line

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei reinforced the message at his weekly briefing on Monday. “The possibility of implementing this plan in two days is another indication of Iran’s good-faith approach,” he said, according to Reuters.

Baghaei said messages were still being exchanged through mediators and that “everything depends” on the U.S. accepting Iran’s demands. He said the strait cannot reopen until the blockade ends and those demands are met. In another clip from the briefing, he said a new America would not be born from a single election.

Strait Remains Shut

Washington has not publicly accepted the framework. Iran has restricted traffic through Hormuz to authorized vessels since Feb. 28, while the U.S. has blockaded Iranian ports since mid-July. U.S. Central Command said 144 commercial vessels had been redirected as of Oct. 31.

Reuters reported that Iranian negotiators left Doha on Sunday after three days of talks with a draft proposal in circulation. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi was due in the Qatari capital on Monday. President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that the Supreme Leader has given the government certain authorities for talks.

President Donald Trump has said Iran will either make a deal or the U.S. will end it, Clash Report reported. Brent crude fell 6.1% to $106.54 a barrel on Monday on hopes of diplomacy, AFP reported.