Iran: Strait of Hormuz could open within 2 days if US meets its demands ... down from 7 days

[Financial News]  Iran, which proposed in September that it would open the Strait of Hormuz within '7 days' if the US met its conditions, said it could open the strait within '2 days' if those conditions were accepted.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said at a weekly briefing on the 2nd (local time), "The basis for negotiations with the United States through mediating countries remains Iran's 'seven-step proposal,' and it has been compressed so it can be implemented within two days."
Iran presented the 'seven-step proposal' to the United States during the UN General Assembly in September and said it would open the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the US accepted it. The Donald Trump administration in the United States rejected it at the time. The proposal's specific contents were not disclosed, but it was reported to include conditions such as the lifting of the US naval blockade around Iran, the immediate return of Iran's frozen assets held abroad, an exemption from sanctions on Iranian oil exports, and a halt to fighting on all fronts.
The Trump administration in the United States has refrained from direct airstrikes on mainland Iran since early September. The United States and Iran are reportedly continuing negotiations to end the war through Qatar and other countries.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters after a meeting of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament on the 1st, "Consultations with the mediating countries on what is being called the 'two-day proposal' are currently proceeding smoothly."
Baghaei of the Foreign Ministry said of the announcement on the 2nd, "This once again demonstrates Iran's goodwill," and stressed, "If our demands are met, security in the Strait of Hormuz can be restored and the negotiation process can begin within a short time."
However, he made clear that "no final agreement can make progress unless Iran's demands, including the lifting of the US naval blockade, are met, and the Strait of Hormuz cannot be opened or made safe either."
Baghaei also said the US midterm elections scheduled for the 3rd would not affect negotiations between the two sides to end the war. He argued, "The election will not give rise to a new America," and "the United States' hostile policy toward Iran has been deeply entrenched for at least 70 years since the 1953 coup."
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