Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged the White House on Sunday, November 8, to decide whether to accept Iran’s proposal linking an end to the war on all fronts with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. He posted that the proposal remained on the table. CNN described its terms as a full reopening of the strait within two days in exchange for ending the war across all fronts.

What the two-day proposal changes

The timetable is the clearest change in Iran’s offer. CNN reported that consultations were continuing with a proposal coordinated with Pakistan and Qatar that would cut the time needed to fully reopen the strait to two days, compared with an Iranian proposal made the previous month. The two-day period is a proposed timetable, not a confirmed reopening date.

CNN also reported, citing officials and Iranian media, that Iran had set seven conditions for reopening Hormuz. Those included lifting the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, releasing frozen Iranian assets and ending the war on all fronts. The report did not detail all seven conditions, and it does not establish whether Washington has accepted any of them.

Araghchi’s election argument

Araghchi presented the decision as one for the White House to make after US voters had made theirs in the midterm elections. That was his characterization of the election result and its meaning for US policy. CNN separately reported that Vice President JD Vance blamed the war with Iran for the Republicans’ very poor performance in the midterms.

The comments put the proposal in a political context, but they do not show that the election has changed the US position. Araghchi said it would take more time for conditions to allow diplomatic efforts to resume. He also said Tehran was waiting to see when US officials would absorb the election results and how the existing diplomatic track could continue.

Consultations involving Pakistan and Qatar are continuing, according to CNN, while Araghchi’s comments point to a longer wait before diplomatic efforts resume. The US response to the two-day proposal, and whether or when Hormuz will fully reopen, remain unresolved.