In brief
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei reaffirmed on Monday that a two‑day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remains on the table, framing it as a sign of good faith. The proposal, originally a seven‑day cease‑fire arrangement announced in September, could be shortened to two days if Washington meets Tehran’s conditions, though U.S. officials have repeatedly rejected the plan. The dispute continues amid a history of missile and drone attacks, a ceasefire in April, and a Memorandum of Understanding signed in June that still has not produced a final agreement.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Tehran’s two‑day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remains on the table and is a "clear sign of the country’s utmost good faith," if Washington meets its conditions. Baghaei delivered the statement at a weekly press conference in Tehran on Nov. 9, stressing that the plan is the "most logical proposal" available and that a two‑day reopening could occur within two days if the United States understood its people’s message.
The two‑day proposal was an evolution of a July‑September plan that called for a seven‑day cease‑fire and reopening of the strait. Tehran had said it would shorten the timeline to two days if Washington agreed to the conditions it laid out. The statement follows a tense history of missile and drone attacks that began on Feb. 28, when Israel and the United States launched joint strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities, prompting Iran to respond with waves of missiles and drones aimed at U.S. bases and assets in the region. The Strait of Hormuz was shut down as part of Iran’s tightened grip on the passage.
An April 8 ceasefire between the warring parties was followed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on Jun. 18 that called for negotiations on all fronts of the conflict, including Iran’s nuclear program and the removal of sanctions. The MoU set a deadline of 60 days, ending on Aug. 17, to reach a final agreement. The parties failed to make sufficient progress, and tensions continued to rise.
U.S. officials, however, have repeatedly rejected the two‑day plan. An NBC News report on Jun. 5 noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had dismissed the proposal, calling it a “non‑stop commercial offer” and a “political touch‑point” that the United States would not accept. The report pointed out that the U.S. has not formally issued a counter‑proposal, and that Washington insists on a longer negotiation period to address a broader range of issues.
Baghaei’s remarks were echoed by Iranian diplomats in a brief statement that underscored Iran’s readiness to finalize the deal if Washington meets Tehran’s demands. The statement also stressed that the plan is a major step toward restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz and that the West Asia region would witness positive events within the two‑day window.
While the Iranian government’s statement frames the two‑day plan as a feasible roadmap, it remains unclear whether Washington will alter its position or provide a concrete response to the conditions. The ability of the U.S. to agree on a two‑day timeline is still unknown, especially in light of its insistence on a continued negotiation period. The unresolved status of the ceasefire agreement, the demand for a window to resolve the nuclear talks, and the broader strategic climate leave the future of the strait’s reopening uncertain. These are the only uncertainties explicitly mentioned in the sources cited.
