Iran's Seven-Day Roadmap to End the War With the U.S., Explained
Iran has proposed a seven-day roadmap to end its war with the United States. The proposal was reported on Sept. 25, 2026. Al Jazeera
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi outlined the plan to reporters in New York. He said the text reached Washington through mediators earlier in the week. "We have introduced a plan to the United States through the intermediators," Araghchi said.
The plan would put into effect the Memorandum of Understanding agreed by Washington and Tehran in June. That includes a halt to hostilities and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Fighting would end on all fronts, including Gaza and Lebanon, within seven days.
The economic terms are specific. Washington would release at least $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets. It would waive sanctions on Iranian oil and lift its naval blockade. Sanctions are economic penalties that restrict oil exports and access to funds, and the blockade is the U.S. naval effort to stop ships at sea.
The timing turns on the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway would reopen on the final day of the seven days. Talks on Iran's nuclear programme would start at once, running alongside de-escalation.
It is like pressing resume on a paused draft rather than starting a new one. The reference is the U.S.-Iran deal brokered by Pakistan and Qatar and signed on June 17, which allowed 60 days for negotiations. That MoU expired in August 2026. U.S. President Donald Trump declared the deal "over" on July 7, 2026.
Earlier accounts described the ceasefire in different terms. Reporting on Sept. 24 described a roadmap that includes a 60-day ceasefire, with one account calling it a regionwide ceasefire of up to 60 days. Semafor, Gulf News Those accounts also described a phased reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The latest account frames the period as seven days.
The fighting and costs around the talks continue. Iran claimed it struck an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Sept. 23 compilation. Britannica The same compilation cited a U.S. military estimate of $43.6 billion for the cost of the war.
The broader context here is a bid to revive an expired framework rather than negotiate from scratch. By invoking the June MoU, Tehran offers a return to language both sides had accepted on stopping fighting, energy flows and nuclear diplomacy, compressed into a week. The test will be verification across separate theatres and linking restraint to financial relief.
Looking at what this means for mediation, the channel matters as much as the content. Transmission through intermediaries, with Pakistan and Qatar having brokered the June text, points to a layered process where third parties hold the timetable and certify compliance. Including Gaza and Lebanon widens enforcement, since actors beyond Washington and Tehran would need to observe the halt for the roadmap to hold.
