Iran awaits US response on Hormuz proposal as tensions persist

The US-Iran conflict over the Strait of Hormuz may escalate, as Iran awaits a formal US response to its proposal to reopen the strategic waterway, which President Donald Trump has already dismissed. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expects a US answer by Tuesday via Qatari intermediaries, following talks in New York with US envoys. Iran demands a seven-day regional ceasefire, unfrozen assets, lifted oil sanctions, and an end to the US naval blockade as conditions. Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf threatened new attacks on regional infrastructure if security is not guaranteed. The strait, which carried a fifth of global oil before the war began in late February, remains blockaded, with both sides disputing control.