The New US Deal for Iran: Hormuz Will Open – and Pressure on Tehran Will Drop

The US has proposed a monthly framework to Iran for opening the Strait of Hormuz to free navigation without fees, in exchange for easing the blockade, releasing frozen funds, or sanctions relief. Pakistan is mediating in an attempt to turn the proposal into a temporary arrangement, until a broader agreement between Iran and Oman. The proposal is separate from the talks with Oman.

The US has proposed to Iran a monthly framework for opening the Strait of Hormuz to free and safe navigation, without fees or additional restrictions, in exchange for lifting the blockade on Iran's coasts for a month, releasing some of the Iranian funds frozen abroad, or easing sanctions. The arrangement would be renewable each month. The proposal is being conveyed through Pakistan, which is mediating in an attempt to turn it into a temporary arrangement. According to sources, the proposal is separate from the talks Iran is holding with the Sultanate of Oman regarding a more permanent arrangement in the strait. A source in the National Council of Resistance of Iran said that the Pakistani involvement gives Tehran an additional political channel and allows it to present a possible compromise as the result of regional mediation rather than as a capitulation to American pressure. Professor Walid Safi from the Lebanese University assessed that Pakistan is trying to create a fast, phased track that could begin with freedom of navigation and regular energy supply, and later lead to broader direct negotiations between the United States and Iran.