How soon will the Strait of Hormuz be able to be reopened. The latest details from the heavily negotiated US-Iran deal

The United States and Iran are discussing a plan to open the Strait of Hormuz about 30 days after the two countries reach an agreement on ending hostilities, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Monday, citing a Middle East diplomatic source, according to Reuters.

Tehran would proceed to demining the strategic strait within 30 days after the conclusion of the agreement. Afterwards, ships from all countries could sail freely and safely, just as they did before the de facto closure of the strait. Iran will also stop charging transit fees, according to the Asian publication.

The truce agreed by the US and Iran in early April was to be extended by 60 days.

The plan is to hold negotiations on Iran's nuclear program during this two-month break. Specific measures to manage Iran's enriched uranium would also be drawn up, the Nikkei noted.

The lifting of US sanctions and the unfreezing of Iranian assets would be implemented in stages.

Areas where fighting will cease include Lebanon. Iran has demanded that Israel end attacks on Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah as a condition for ending the conflict. Israel, meanwhile, is demanding that Hezbollah disarm.

According to the diplomatic source cited, the approval of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is essential for the proposed agreement. Nikkei notes that it remains unclear whether a final agreement will be reached.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks in Beijing on Monday with Pakistani Marshal Asim Munir, who stood out as one of the main mediators between Washington and Tehran. Munir said the two sides were on the verge of reaching an agreement, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the media that conclusions have been reached in many areas, but that Iran is not on the verge of signing a peace agreement.

On Sunday, as US and Iranian officials announced an important development in negotiations to find a deal to end the war, US President Donald Trump said he had told his representatives not to “rush into a deal” with Tehran.

On Monday, the White House leader said it should be mandatory for countries such as Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey to join the Abraham Accords as a bloc as part of efforts for a deal with Iran. Trump stated, in a long message published on his social network, Truth Social, that he talked over the weekend with the leaders of these countries, as well as with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, which have already signed the Abraham Accords – a set of agreements aimed at normalizing relations with Israel.

Thus, the American president urged countries with a majority Muslim population, especially Qatar and Pakistan, to normalize their relations with Israel as part of the expected peace agreement on Iran.

“I stated that after all the efforts of the United States to try to piece together this very complex puzzle, it should be mandatory that all these countries, at the very least, simultaneously accede to the Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote in his post.

The US leader also said that negotiations with Iran are “going well”, but gave no indication that a peace deal was imminent.

Tehran sets conditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz

An Iranian official said the first phase of reopening the Strait of Hormuz must include unblocking Iran's assets, removing sea mines and lifting the US blockade, The Washington Post previously reported.

Esmail Baghaei also said on Monday that his country will not negotiate its nuclear program until after concluding a framework agreement with the United States. “The details of the nuclear program are not currently being discussed,” he insisted.

By the term “framework agreement”, the negotiators refer to a 14-point memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US, which Baghaei said would allow for a dialogue on nuclear issues within 60 days, notes Agerpres.

The Reuters agency on Monday summarized the current situation of the American-Iranian negotiations, appreciating that both Washington and Tehran tempered the expectations regarding an imminent success of the diplomatic efforts.

The Strait of Hormuz has been virtually closed since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. On that sea route – used before the conflict for a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas transports – hardly any ships pass, compared to the 125-140 daily that previously transited.

The price of oil on international markets rose sharply and significantly because of the war, triggering an energy crisis. On Monday, however, signs that there were grounds for optimism about a deal sent shares down more than 4%.

A fragile truce has been in place between the two sides since early April.