Araghchi says Iran is in talks via mediators on seven-day plan to reopen Hormuz

TEHRAN — Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Tehran is in close, continuing contact with mediators about ways to carry out its seven-day plan to end the regional war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Araghchi made the remarks in a post on X, according to Arab News. "While our Brave Armed Forces are fully prepared to defend the Homeland, Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed," he wrote.

He added: "We remain in close and ongoing contact with intermediaries to review ideas that can ensure implementation of our 7-Day Plan in even less than a week."

Al Jazeera Arabic, in a post on Telegram marked as breaking news, carried the same statement in Arabic. The post said Araghchi described continuing contacts with mediators to discuss ideas that would ensure the plan is carried out in less than a week. The Telegram post is a social media item and gave no further detail beyond the headline.

What the plan involves

Iran proposed the seven-day plan in September and passed it to the United States through Qatar, according to Arab News. Araghchi said at the time that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen within seven days if "necessary conditions" were met. One of those conditions, he said, was a ceasefire across the Middle East.

Iran has also demanded that its assets abroad be unfrozen, that sanctions on its oil sector be lifted and that the US naval blockade end, Arab News reported.

The latest statement does not say which ideas are under discussion. It also does not say whether the United States has responded to the plan or to any new element of it.

Qatari role and US reporting

An Arab News summary said Qatari mediators had introduced a new proposal aimed at ending the conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel. The summary said Iran was considering the offer and was expected to respond soon. The article text, as provided, did not give details of such a proposal, and Iranian officials were not quoted confirming it.

Separately, the US news website Axios reported on Wednesday that regional mediators led by Qatar were pushing for "a diplomatic deal." According to Axios, the aim is to restart talks between the United States and Iran and to prevent a return to war after the US midterm elections on November 3.

Axios cited US, Israeli and other regional sources. It reported that the Qataris were trying "to convince Iran to allow UN inspectors to visit its bombed nuclear sites in return for some sanctions relief from the US." Arab News relayed that account. Neither Iran nor the United States was quoted in the material available confirming it.

A Qatari delegation visited Tehran on Sunday for talks, Iran said. The discussions covered developments including the latest on negotiations, Hormuz and energy supplies, according to the Iranian statement cited by Arab News.

Threats of renewed attacks

Araghchi's remarks came as US and Israeli threats of renewed attacks on Iran increased, Arab News reported. The war began in February, when the United States and Israel launched it. The report did not provide details of the recent threats.

Araghchi's reference to the armed forces being "fully prepared to defend the Homeland" appeared alongside his comments on diplomacy in the same post.

Background

Since the war began, Iran has claimed control over the Strait of Hormuz, according to Arab News. It regularly targets vessels that try to cross without its authorization, the outlet said. The United States has responded with a naval counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

Diplomatic efforts to end the crisis remain stalled, Arab News reported. It linked the stall especially to the collapse of a June deal that had set out a pathway to a permanent settlement. The source material does not describe the terms of that deal or the reasons it failed.

An image published with the Arab News report, distributed by the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shows Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, meeting Araghchi in Tehran. The caption gives the date as August 27, 2026.

Qatar has acted as the channel for Iran's proposals to Washington since at least September, according to the reports. The timing of any Iranian response to mediators, and any US reaction, has not been confirmed.