Iran flexible on two-day timeline for Strait of Hormuz reopening: FM

Iran has agreed to a "two-day plan" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, shortening its earlier seven-day proposal, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday, as an Iranian delegation continues talks with mediators in Qatar.

Araghchi stated that the proposal currently on the table is basically the same as the "seven-day plan" previously proposed by Iran.

The "seven-day plan" set out the conditions for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, stipulating that if Iran's conditions are met, the strait will be reopened on the sixth day, and U.S.-Iran negotiations will resume on the seventh day.

Mediators such as Qatar and Pakistan have also held multiple consultations and discussions on this matter, putting forward suggestions that are more feasible and actionable than Iran's "seven-day plan".

One of Qatar's suggestions was to shorten the seven-day timeline to five or even fewer days, Araghchi said, and the Iranian delegation discussed the idea with the Qatari side during their visit.

Currently, Iran agrees to a "two-day plan" under which the United States will take a series of compliance measures on the first day, the Strait of Hormuz will open on the second day, and traffic will return to what it was before the conflict. Araghchi stated that the U.S. must meet the relevant conditions, all of which were mentioned in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The conditions Iran has set for the U.S. reportedly include determining new navigation routes for the Strait of Hormuz, releasing all frozen Iranian funds, ending regional wars including in Lebanon, lifting the naval blockade, restoring sanctions waivers for Iranian oil exports, and lifting new sanctions imposed by the U.S. after the Islamabad MoU.

Araghchi emphasized that the Iranian side mentioned other conditions in the submitted letter, which have nothing unreasonable about them, provided that the U.S. side shows sincerity, has a genuine desire to reach an agreement, and truly seeks a peaceful solution.

He pointed out that all these issues are now on the table. As long as the U.S. side abides by the "two-day plan", this will pave the way for peace and returning the Strait of Hormuz to normal.

Only after the U.S. fulfills its relevant commitments and the strait is opened will the path to resuming negotiations between the two countries be opened.

Iran flexible on two-day timeline for Strait of Hormuz reopening: FM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has never refused to talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov on Sunday.

Ushakov said negotiations to resolve the Ukraine crisis should be held in the form of tripartite talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine. There may also be European representatives at the negotiating table, but in the initial stage of negotiations, it must be in the form of Russia, the United States and Ukraine.

He also revealed that Zelensky is sending signals that Ukraine is willing to talk to Putin through different channels.

On the same day, Zelensky said in an interview that he is willing to hold a face-to-face meeting with Putin in Türkiye and hopes that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could use his communication channels with Putin to facilitate this direct negotiation.

Zelensky said the delegations and technical teams could not decide on some issues, and that the two countries' top leaders, who hold decision-making power, could resolve these issues through direct dialogue. He expressed support for holding the meeting in Türkiye and said he valued the communication channel between Erdogan and Putin.

Zelensky stressed that he wants direct talks with Putin himself, because the final decision-making power on relevant matters rests with Putin.

Putin never refused to talk with Zelensky: Russian official