Diplomacy & Geopolitics
Strait of Hormuz: Russia ready to help, Lavrov says
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the United Nations that Russia was ready to help stabilize the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, adding Moscow's position to diplomatic moves over the strategic waterway.
US President Donald Trump earlier said he rejected Iran's proposal on the Strait of Hormuz, a plan Tehran said could reopen the waterway within seven days if conditions were met.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the proposal was coordinated with supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday, quoting an interview with CBS. Pezeshkian said Iran would fulfil its obligations if the United States accepted the proposal and met its own commitments.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier said Tehran had conveyed the plan to the United States through Qatar. The proposal is aimed at reopening the waterway after nearly seven months of deadlock between Iran and the United States.
The plan calls for the release of frozen Iranian assets estimated at at least $12 billion, the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil and an end to the US naval blockade of Iran. Earlier media reports said the proposal also called for a seven-day cessation of hostilities in the Middle East. Hossein Mohebi, a spokesman for the Revolutionary Guards, previously told AFP that ending hostilities in Yemen was also among Tehran's demands.
Update
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the United Nations that Russia was ready to help stabilize the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 September 2026 at 16:01:36 UTC.
Update
Donald Trump said he rejected Iran's proposal on the Strait of Hormuz.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 September 2026 at 14:52:28 UTC.
Update
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the Hormuz reopening plan was coordinated with supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
Pezeshkian said Iran would fulfil its obligations if the United States accepted the proposal and fulfilled its own obligations.
Pezeshkian said a six-member Iranian team with representatives from the military, parliament and government has authority to make decisions.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 September 2026 at 10:21:19 UTC.
Update
The Wall Street Journal reported that US President Donald Trump rejected Iran's proposal, citing US officials familiar with the matter.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was skeptical Tehran would meet his demands and saw a renewed bombing campaign as likely.
Trump posted an image on Truth Social showing the Strait of Hormuz circled and labelled "Trump Strait."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS the ceasefire process would begin from the day the United States accepted it.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 September 2026 at 02:02:29 UTC.
Update
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at the UN that Iran had conveyed a concrete seven-day plan to the United States through Qatar.
Araghchi said normal maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz could be restored within seven days if necessary conditions are met.
Araghchi said everything was prepared if the United States was serious about reaching a deal and reopening the strait.
Source note: AFP news report published on 25 September 2026 at 20:41:46 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The specific help Russia would provide to stabilize the situation is unclear.
The exact link, if any, between Lavrov's comments and Iran's proposal is not specified.
Source
AFP news report published on .