Iran is pressing a seven-day proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but the offer remains tied to conditions that Washington rejects. Tehran says the waterway can reopen within six days if the United States accepts its terms, with negotiations resuming the following day. The United States maintains that the strait is open to ships from every country except Iran and insists that any agreement address Iran’s nuclear program from the outset.
The dispute follows the collapse of an interim ceasefire and a series of attacks on commercial shipping. A Singapore-flagged, Cyprus-owned container ship, the GFS Pride, was hit by an Iranian projectile and sank while being towed after a fire. Central Command says about 97% of ships seeking to transit the strait have passed without being struck, while accusing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard of trying unsuccessfully to close the waterway.
Iran’s proposal emerged as part of broader diplomatic efforts involving regional mediators. Earlier talks between Iran and Oman focused on maritime safety and freedom of navigation, with both sides agreeing to continue political and technical discussions under international law. Separate negotiations have also addressed reopening the strait, lifting the U.S.
The central disagreement is whether reopening means unrestricted passage or formal Iranian authority over maritime traffic. Iran has sought recognition of a management role and the ability to charge fees on vessels entering or leaving the Gulf. The strait carried roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war, making the terms of any reopening consequential for shipping and energy markets.
Earlier efforts to restore traffic included a temporary corridor that directed vessels through northern routes near Iran or southern routes near Oman.
The diplomatic track remains active, but the nuclear issue and the future administration of Hormuz continue to block a settlement. Washington has said sanctions relief and the release of some frozen funds would require concrete nuclear concessions, while Tehran has treated control of the waterway as an immediate priority. The result is a negotiation in which proposals to restore shipping continue alongside competing claims about who controls the route and whether it is genuinely open.