Iran-US war latest: Tehran raises reopening Strait of Hormuz in 7 days as part of ‘phased’ end to war

Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Close Mass walkout as Netanyahu addresses the UN and takes a shot at Mamdani On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Iran has proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz to traffic within seven days if certain conditions are met, as the cost of the seven-month conflict begins to weigh on both sides. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in New York on Thursday that mediators have submitted a plan to the White House that would pave the way for the waterway to reopen in a week and talks to restart. He said Iran’s demands were contained in the Islamabad Memorandum signed by Trump earlier in the year, before talks broke down . Earlier in the day, Araghchi met with UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband, the first meeting between British and Iranian ministers in a year. Miliband urged the importance of freedom of navigation, warned Iran about its behaviour in the UK, and called for the UK to be given consular access to the British couple held in Tehran . US and Iranian negotiators were also exploring a possible ‘phased’ solution to the crisis, prioritising the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to the US blockade on Iranian ports, per Reuters. A senior Iranian official said the most plausible way to end the impasse would be a phased arrangement, with Iran allowing navigation through Hormuz in return for the US lifting its economic blockade and Tehran potentially gaining access to frozen assets. Recommended Netanyahu tells colonialism accusers in UK that Britain ‘invented the term’ Netanyahu uses UN speech to blast NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani: ‘You can’t silence me’ Oil firms accused of pushing for tax breaks after ‘cashing in’ on Middle East crisis: ‘It’s scandalous’ Ed Miliband warns Iran minister UK will not ‘tolerate intimidation’ Key Points Netanyahu defends Israel as delegates walk out Netanyahu, at UN, calls accusations of genocide in Gaza as 'the biggest lie of the century' Netanyahu praises Trump during his UNGA speech Mamdani claps back at Netanyahu’s attack on ‘anti-Semitic mayor of New York’ remark Hacks and Sex & the City stars among celebs arrested in Netanyahu protest outside UN Houthis step up attacks on Saudi Arabia Britain warns Iran that UK will not tolerate hostile activity on British soil: report British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in a meeting that Britain will "not tolerate intimidation, threats or hostile activity on UK soil" from groups linked to his country, Sky News reported on Thursday. Miliband and Araqchi met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the report said, citing Britain's foreign office. It marked the first meeting between Iranian and British ministers in a year. Ed Miliband urged Israel to end its 'unacceptable restrictions on Gaza' ( AP ) Miliband and Araghchi discussed the war in the Middle East, the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Britain's "unwavering resolve to combat threats from Iranian-linked groups in UK soil", the report added. Britain's National Cyber Security Centre said last week Iranian state-linked cyber actors had used a spyware family known as "CHOSEN BRICK" to steal emails, messages and other sensitive information through "spear-phishing" campaigns on messaging platforms including WhatsApp and Telegram. James Reynolds 25 September 2026 09:00 Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey discuss aid for Riyadh in New York The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey met on the sidelines of the UN general assembly to plan a meeting to discuss aid for Riyadh in its fight with the Houthis, the Saudi Gazette reported on Friday. The ministers were said to have reviewed ongoing preparations for a chiefs of staff meeting, which will look at their respective responsibilities under their defence pact. And Turkey’s defence ministry said on Friday that the military chief of staff was heading to Saudi Arabia for a meeting with peers. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have ramped up attacks on Saudi ships and infrastructure in recent weeks, seizing land on the Red Sea coast to squeeze the Bab el-Mandeb strait, through which Riyadh exports oil with the Strait of Hormuz closed. Saudi Arabia has a joint defence pact with Pakistan and Turkey - under which an attack on one is considered an attack on all - but neither have yet offered material support. File: Houthi fighters move next to a destroyed vehicle following what the source described as an attack on Saudi-backed forces in the location given by the source as al Jawf governorate, Yemen ( Reuters ) James Reynolds 25 September 2026 08:20 The latest: Iran suggests Strait of Hormuz could reopen within a week Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in New York on Thursday that his country’s mediators have submitted a plan to the White House that would pave the way for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen within a week. “We have introduced a plan to the United States through the mediators that if certain conditions are met ... the strait will be open in seven days”, he said. Should both sides reach an agreement, they could restart negotiations for a final deal, Araghchi added. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi at the UN headquarters on 22 September ( Getty ) Reuters reportedly separately on Thursday that US and Iranian negotiators were exploring a possible ‘phased’ solution to the crisis, prioritising the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to the US blockade on Iranian ports. A senior Iranian official said the most plausible way to end the impasse would be a phased arrangement, with Iran allowing navigation through Hormuz in return for the US lifting its economic blockade and Tehran potentially gaining access to frozen assets. Iran’s motivation to end the crisis is a recognition of the economic cost of prolonged confrontation, officials said, noting that neither side wants to be the first to back down. Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on 23 September ( Reuters ) A phased agreement would involve Donald Trump accepting another temporary fix after the interim Islamabad Memorandum collapsed in July. A central challenge facing the negotiators is not just to sketch out a deal but also to ensure any concessions are durable enough for both sides to trust, the sources said. James Reynolds 25 September 2026 07:40 Yemeni VP says weapons, technology should be kept from rebels' hands Arguing that protecting the strait "is the responsibility of every economy that depends on secure supply chains, energy security and freedom of navigation," Yemen’s vice president Abdullah Abdulkader al Alimi-Bawzer urged the international community to keep weapons and technology from getting into the rebels' hands. For years, the UN Security Council has imposed an arms embargo on the Houthis and an asset freeze and travel ban on their leaders and top officials. Yemen refugees arrive in Djibouti as intensified fighting drives displacement ( Reuters ) Iran denies arming the Houthis, but smuggled Iranian weapons and parts have been seized from numerous shipments bound for Yemen, and a report by UN experts in 2024 documented extensive military ties between the Houthis, Iran and its other allies. Al Alimi-Bawzer contended on Thursday that the rebels wouldn't have been able to maintain their position for a dozen years without Iranian weapons, expertise and military technologies. The Houthis claimed on Thursday to have fired dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia's southwestern Jazan province. A Saudi military spokesperson, Major General Turki al-Malki, said the kingdom intercepted six ballistic missiles targeting its Red Sea port of Yanbu and the southwestern city of Taif, blaming the Houthis. His statement followed alerts by Saudi civil defence authorities, who later noted the danger had passed. Namita Singh 25 September 2026 07:02 Yemen tells UN that Houthi rebels' moves on key strait threaten global economy Yemen's internationally recognised government pressed world leaders anew on Thursday for help defeating the Houthis, saying that their new perch along one of the world's busiest waterways presents an international economic risk. The Houthis — who have controlled Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and much of the country's north for over a decade — stormed down Yemen's coast this month and seized the crucial port city of Mokha and key Red Sea islands. Houthi supporters shout slogans during an anti-Saudi rally amid an escalation with the kingdom, in Sanaa, Yemen, 31 July 2026 ( Reuters ) That gives them better surveillance of ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, at the sea's southern end. About 12 per cent of the world's trade usually passes through the waterway. The rebels have declared a blockade on Saudi shipping. While asserting there's no other threat to commercial shipping on the Red Sea, they have warned other nations not to get involved. But the vice president of the internationally recognised government council urged world leaders at the UN General Assembly not to trust the Houthis' assurances and to see a bigger picture in the strife around the strait. Namita Singh 25 September 2026 06:41 Russian, Iranian foreign ministers say only diplomatic solution to conflict around Iran Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and ​his Iranian counterpart met on Thursday and Moscow said both agreed that only a diplomatic settlement could end tension in ⁠the Middle East sparked by the US-Israeli war against Iran. "Current regional and international issues were discussed with emphasis on the situation around Iran," Russia's ⁠foreign ministry said in a ​statement ⁠after Lavrov and Iran's Abbas Araqchi met in New York on the ⁠sidelines of the UN General Assembly. "It was stressed ​that ⁠there is no alternative ‌to a diplomatic settlement of the crisis provoked by the illegal actions of the United ‌States and Israel." Russian president Vladimir ‌Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian signed a strategic cooperation partnership in 2025 which provides for a ⁠deepening of bilateral ties and closer defence cooperation, but includes no mutual defence clause. Each side has provided the other with military know-how and equipment. Pezeshkian thanked Putin earlier this month for Moscow's position on the Iran war ‌and said together, Moscow and Tehran can ​resist what he called US "unilateralism". Namita Singh 25 September 2026 06:23 Netanyahu praises Trump during his UNGA speech Benjamin Netanyahu was making a short visit to the US for his UN address and, unusually, without a planned meeting with US president Donald Trump, whom he praised during his speech. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds up a Starlink device as he addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly ( Reuters ) "We will continue ‌to defend our state. We will continue to win because we have no other choice. In this battle against the barbarians, we've had no greater partner than President ​Trump. I thank him. I thank him for his bold leadership," he said. Namita Singh 25 September 2026 05:38 UN delegates walk out of Netanyahu speech Delivering a defiant address to the United Nations on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mounted a firm defence of Israel's regional military actions, attempting to push back against deepening global isolation ahead of upcoming domestic elections. As he approached the podium inside the General Assembly hall, several delegations staged a walkout in protest, prompting the Israeli leader to label those departing "moral cowards." Report: UN delegates walk out of Netanyahu speech as he labels them ‘moral cowards’ Throughout the address, he directed sharp criticism at New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, condemned Western European governments and accused Qatar and Turkey of disseminating falsehoods regarding Israel Namita Singh 25 September 2026 05:21 Saudia Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan to meet under joint defence pact The