Iran President Says Supreme Leader Backs Plan to Reopen Hormuz if US Meets Tehran’s Conditions

Tehran: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that a new plan to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz had been coordinated with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to state media reports citing excerpts from an interview with American broadcaster CBS. Pezeshkian said Iran would fulfil its side of the proposal if the United States agreed to accept it, adding that a six-member team within Iran had been holding discussions and had the authority to make decisions on the matter.

The strait, critical to global oil supply, has remained a central flashpoint in the nearly seven-month standoff between the US and Iran. The proposal reportedly calls for the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad, estimated at a minimum of $12 billion, along with the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil exports and an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.

The development came as Pezeshkian headed back to Tehran after attending the UN General Assembly in New York, where he also met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and said Iran remained open to negotiations despite waning trust in Washington following past setbacks. Earlier in the week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff and requires Washington to meet a set of conditions within seven days, under which normal maritime traffic could resume through the strait if conditions were met, while insisting Iran would not act under coercion.

However, hours after Araghchi's remarks, Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s latest offer, telling staff that a renewed bombing campaign is likely after the upcoming midterm elections.