Date: September 28, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
The United States and Iran held separate discussions with mediators on Monday as diplomatic efforts intensified to end the seven-month war between the two countries, with negotiators expected to examine an amended Iranian proposal aimed at stopping the fighting and reopening the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
A senior official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters that Qatari mediators were expected to meet separately with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in New York and with U.S. officials on Monday or Tuesday. The discussions are expected to focus on an amended version of a seven-day proposal Iran presented last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Araqchi remained in New York after attending the General Assembly and said Iran was waiting for Washington's response to its latest ceasefire proposal and its conditions for restoring maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
“If the Americans claim they are seeking an agreement or a peaceful solution, we have presented that solution,” Araqchi said, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.
The diplomatic activity comes only days after U.S. President Donald Trump rejected Iran's initial proposal. Trump said on Saturday that he had turned down the offer, arguing that Tehran was seeking a rapid agreement because of the severe economic pressure it was facing.
Despite rejecting the proposal, Trump subsequently said he expected U.S. negotiators to participate in further discussions during the week. U.S. officials also spoke separately with mediators on Monday, Trump told reporters at the White House, although he did not provide details about who took part or what was discussed.
Iran's seven-day proposal calls for an end to hostilities in Iran and Lebanon, the unfreezing of billions of dollars in Iranian assets, an end to sanctions affecting Iranian oil and the lifting of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports. In return, Tehran would allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen to maritime traffic, while the two sides would resume negotiations concerning Iran's nuclear programme.
The Strait of Hormuz is central to the negotiations because it is one of the world's most important energy corridors. The conflict has severely disrupted shipping through the waterway, affecting global oil supplies and contributing to sharp movements in energy prices.
Oil prices initially rose sharply on Monday after Trump rejected Iran's proposal, but they later pared some of those gains as reports emerged that Qatari mediators would hold separate discussions with Washington and Tehran. Reuters reported that Brent crude settled at $105.28 a barrel, up 96 cents, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude settled at $92.60, up 19 cents.
The latest diplomatic effort follows two previous U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreements reached through mediation in April and June. Both arrangements subsequently broke down, leaving the conflict unresolved and raising questions about whether a new agreement could hold.
Iran has continued to insist that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is dependent on conditions being met by Washington. Araqchi said Sunday that Iranian conditions remained unchanged and that Tehran was waiting for mediators to communicate the U.S. position formally.
“Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met,” Araqchi said. He added that only a negotiated solution could resolve the current deadlock.
The negotiations also come as both sides continue to disagree over Iran's nuclear programme. Iran has maintained that it will defend what it considers its right to peaceful nuclear technology, while the United States has demanded restrictions intended to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
The conflict began in late February with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. Reuters reported that thousands of people have been killed during the seven-month conflict, while the disruption of major waterways has affected global energy markets.
The diplomatic channel remains indirect, with Qatar playing an important mediating role. It was not immediately clear which U.S. officials would meet the mediators or whether Washington had accepted the amended Iranian proposal.
Iranian officials have said they remain prepared to negotiate, while the Trump administration has continued to press Tehran over the terms of any settlement. The latest separate meetings therefore represent another attempt to narrow the differences between the two sides without yet amounting to a new ceasefire agreement.
For now, the immediate focus of the talks is whether the amended seven-day proposal can provide a basis for stopping hostilities and restoring shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The outcome of the mediator discussions could determine whether the two countries move toward another formal round of negotiations or whether the conflict continues without an agreement.