Iran says it can reopen Strait of Hormuz within two days if US accepts its conditions

Iran has signalled it could allow shipping to move freely through the Strait of Hormuz within two days, provided the United States accepts a set of demands from Tehran. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that the plan had been reached with mediators from Qatar and that discussions on it were continuing.

The two-day timeline is a compressed version of an earlier seven-day proposal that Iran had routed through Qatar. According to reporting on the talks, Araghchi described the longer version as Iran's own plan and said it was shortened at Qatar's urging. An Iranian delegation was in Doha on Saturday after Qatari officials spent long hours in Tehran the previous day.

What Tehran is asking for

Iranian conditions reported so far include lifting sanctions, an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, the release of frozen Iranian funds and a reduction of US forces in the region. Tehran also wants recognition of a shipping route through the strait agreed with Oman. Proposals on Iran's nuclear programme would be handled in a later phase, according to the reports. Araghchi said no meetings with American officials were planned for now.

Separately, senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei said he had reviewed a letter from Vance and that Washington's tone had "changed completely", calling it a positive sign. Araghchi described the US outreach as "a positive step".

Warnings on both sides

The diplomacy is unfolding alongside sharp warnings. Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said any threat would meet an immediate response, and a Revolutionary Guard spokesperson cautioned that a fresh US attack could widen the conflict. In Washington, President Donald Trump said the war would end "very soon" and that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, while Vance said the president would not allow a "forever war".

Shipping in the strait remains hazardous. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said several tankers caught fire on Friday after hitting mines on routes it had not authorised, including a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude. US Central Command rejected the mine claims and said its forces had cleared the main internationally recognised transit routes. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre has logged more than 30 attacks on vessels in October, the highest monthly figure since the war began.

Why it matters for India

A large share of the crude oil and liquefied gas that India imports from the Gulf normally passes through Hormuz, and thousands of Indian seafarers work on vessels in the region. Any reliable reopening would ease pressure on freight and insurance costs and on fuel prices. With US midterm elections due on Tuesday and reports that new strike options may be presented to Trump afterwards, the coming days are likely to decide whether the Qatar-led track gains ground or the conflict escalates again.