Araghchi says two-day Hormuz offer stands after midterms

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday, November 8, that Tehran's two-day proposal to end hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is still on the table. He framed the result of the US midterm elections as a choice point for the Trump administration. "American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own," Araghchi wrote on X, according to The New Arab. "Our 2-day proposal stands: meet the requirements, including end to war on all fronts, and you will see results. Or choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened Warriors rain down hell."newarab.com

The post came five days after the November 3 midterms, in which President Donald Trump suffered a heavy setback, Europa Press reported via Notimérica. Ynet carried the same message.ynetnews.com+1

What the offer involves

Iran made the plan public in early November. It would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days once its conditions are met. Those conditions are an end to the US naval blockade, a return of oil trade that includes Iranian exports, and a ceasefire on all fronts, according to Europa Press. Araghchi has said the plan shortens an earlier seven-day version. Under the new timeline, Washington would take a set of steps on the first day and the strait would reopen on the second, Arab News reported.notimerica.com+1

Tehran's wider demands go further. They include releasing frozen Iranian assets, restoring waivers on oil sanctions, ending fighting in Lebanon and recognizing an Iran-Oman arrangement for shipping through Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported. The United States, by contrast, wants progress on Iran's nuclear program before it makes concessions. One analyst told Al Jazeera that "each side wants the other to act first."aljazeera.com

Talks in Doha continue

On Sunday, Iranian negotiators held a third straight day of talks with Qatari mediators in Doha, an official briefed on the discussions told Reuters, as carried by Arab News. Speaking to state media, Araghchi said discussions on the two-day plan were continuing but had not reached a final conclusion. He added that Tehran is prepared for "both defence and diplomacy," The Express Tribune reported.arabnews.pk+1

Fears of post-election escalation

The offer comes as many expect the conflict could escalate now that the vote is over. Trump had said the United States would not launch new attacks on Iran before the midterms, but he did not rule out military action afterward, according to Arab News. Iran's army has warned that any new war with the United States could last longer than the previous one. Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's security chief, has said shipping through the strait will not return to normal until Washington moves toward Tehran's conditions, Al Jazeera reported.arabnews.pk+1