2 Days: Iran’s Deadline for U.S. Response on Strait of Hormuz

Iran has set a two-day window for the United States to respond to a proposal that would fully open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.

The proposal is one of several conditions Tehran laid out in a letter to Washington. Iranian officials said their delegation departed Qatar after days of talks, but communication continues through the mediator.

The timeline for the current standoff began with the opening strikes on February 28. Those attacks by Israel and the United States killed the previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, took over leadership but has not appeared in public since that date.

Tensions escalated further when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost his parliamentary majority in last week's election. Fears grew that he might push for new strikes to stay in power during a renewed war. On Saturday, Trump told reporters he had a "very good" call with Netanyahu regarding Iran. He provided no further details. Netanyahu's office has remained silent on the conversation since last Tuesday's vote.

Iran has expanded its public threats while maintaining diplomatic channels. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei met with military chiefs and instructed that any threat from the U.S. or Israel receive an immediate response without geographic limits. He urged an expansion of the target list.

Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's security chief, warned on social media that any attack would result in devastating blows using new weapons. In a state television interview, he described the change in U.S. tone as a very good sign. He acknowledged receiving a letter from Vice President JD Vance but said he had not responded yet.

Rezaei stated that no decision has been made to change Iran's nuclear doctrine, though some Iranians have questioned if it should change if attacked again. Washington seeks to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and wants to address the issue in new talks. Iran prefers to discuss the nuclear matter later.

Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, visited Turkmenistan on Monday. He said the final outcome depends on answers to specific Iranian questions. The U.S. and Iran remain far apart on their positions. Anwar Gargash, a presidential adviser for the United Arab Emirates, told attendees at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain that the rules of logic show the stances are distant. He warned that if the positions are not bridged, the worst must be feared.

Commercial ship attacks in the Strait of Hormuz hit a peak in October. This was the busiest month for reported assaults since the war began in March. The UAE faced more than 3,000 drones and ballistic missiles, most of which were intercepted. China announced it will send a special envoy to Iran, Oman, and Saudi Arabia in early to mid-November. President Xi Jinping told Oman's sultan that the Gulf region should not become an arena for great-power rivalry.

The next major step is the U.S. response to Tehran's two-day deadline. Trump has alternated between comments on pursuing talks and threats to strike hard. The region waits for Washington's answer on the shipping proposal.