Gulf Nations Push Four-Day Timeline for Strait Reopening in Iran Deal

Gulf states are finalizing a multipart agreement intended to prevent a renewed conflict between the United States and Iran. The proposed deal centers on a timeline that would reopen the strait of Hormuz within four days of lifting economic sanctions. It also requires the Houthis to withdraw substantial military forces from inside Yemen.

The United States is aware of the progress in these talks but is demanding a specific concession from Tehran. European powers suggest this concession could involve Iran allowing UN weapons inspectors back into the country. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband in New York, where Miliband urged the Iranians to accept the inspectors. Iran has so far refused, stating it will only hold talks in principle regarding its nuclear program.

European diplomats view the return of inspectors to bombed nuclear sites as a minimum requirement for a breakthrough with President Donald Trump. In contrast, Iran remains focused on guarantees of sanctions relief. Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran’s national security council, indicated that Tehran is willing to shorten its proposed timeline for the strait’s reopening from seven days to four days after sanctions are lifted.

Iran is also acknowledging its mediating role in the Yemen conflict. On Tuesday, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the supreme national security council, met with Ibrahim al-Dulaimi, the Houthi ambassador to Iran. This meeting occurred 24 hours after a high-level delegation from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan traveled to Tehran. The delegations discussed Saudi terms for ending the Yemen conflict and a longer-term security architecture for the region.

Iran successfully steered the Tehran discussions away from its nuclear program, focusing instead on a regional security vision that includes the Gulf states and reduces or ends the US presence in the Middle East. The goal is a non-aggression pact that ends Iran’s ostracization by the Gulf, a status it has held since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Such a commitment from six Gulf states could make it easier for Tehran to accept difficult tactical concessions on its nuclear program.

Badr Albusaidi, the foreign minister of Oman, said the US administration understands this is the direction the region is heading. He noted that if Iran is fully re-engaged, the economic potential for the region and outside partners would be enormous. Albusaidi stated there is general acceptance that this will be the direction of travel once a deal is finalized.

In a televised event in Iran, Araghchi emphasized the importance of a postwar security pact. He said that recent talk of a new war has led him to think about the postwar period, adding that whether there is war or not, Iranian policies remain the same.