The United States and Iran are exposed to discussing a phased agreement to open air traffic in exchange for lifting the blockade.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi told the media during the general debate of the United Nations General Assembly on the 24th that Iran has submitted a new negotiation draft to the United States and will “reopen” the Strait of Hormuz and restart negotiations. Another person familiar with the matter told Reuters that U.S. and Iranian negotiators are discussing a phased agreement in New York, which includes Iran “reopening” the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the lifting of the U.S. economic blockade against Iran.

Araghchi refused to disclose the specific contents of the draft, saying only that the negotiating conditions were nothing more than those in the memorandum of understanding reached by the two parties in June.

The United States and Iran reached a memorandum of understanding in mid-June, but it was undermined shortly after the memorandum came into effect. In the memorandum, Iran proposed the lifting of maritime blockades and sanctions against Iran and the unfreezing of Iran’s overseas assets.

A CNN reporter asked the White House for confirmation on Araghchi’s statement. A White House official responded that the United States and Iran “are having active and constructive discussions through the mediator.” The official also said that the United States “has the upper hand in the negotiations and is in no rush to reach an agreement.”

Araghchi told the media that Iran is waiting for a response from the United States. Iran is not in a hurry to reach an agreement, but believes that it is a better choice for the United States to accept the draft and restart negotiations before the midterm elections of the U.S. Congress in November.

According to Reuters, the biggest obstacle facing U.S.-Iran negotiations is that both sides are unwilling to make concessions first. The United States is trying to pressure Iran to compromise, while Iran hopes that the United States will first reduce pressure on Iran.

According to a senior Iranian official, the most feasible way at present is for the United States and Iran to reach a phased agreement, in which Iran will allow navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the United States lifting its economic blockade against Iran. “The way forward is to resolve the crisis in stages, starting with ending the blockade and reopening the Strait of Hormuz,” the Iranian official told Reuters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Zayani read a statement jointly signed by about 80 countries at the United Nations General Assembly on the 24th, calling on Iran to immediately “reopen” the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Iranian officials, while Iran is seeking to resolve the conflict through diplomatic channels, it is also preparing for the possible resumption of war by the United States. Since the United States has made many demanding demands, the possibility of the two sides resolving the conflict diplomatically is “very small.”

In an exclusive interview broadcast on the Fox News Channel in the United States on the 24th, Iranian President Pezhechiyan said that Iran did not block the Strait of Hormuz before the war broke out, but “because of Israeli instigation, they (the United States) imposed the war on us” and “it is up to the United States to decide whether to end the war.”