US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday 7 October that the war with Iran would end “very soon” one way or another, as Tehran confirmed it had submitted a detailed proposal to intermediaries setting out its conditions for reaching a settlement, amid continuing disagreements over Iran’s nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump expects war to end and oil prices to fall
Trump added in remarks to journalists before leaving the White House that oil prices would fall sharply as soon as the war ended, predicting they would return to levels similar to or lower than those recorded before the confrontation began. He said the United States would end the war “one way or another”, without announcing a specific timetable or revealing new military or diplomatic steps.
A day earlier, Trump said Washington was now required to end the war, adding that the issue was how it would be brought to a close. He hinted at two options, describing one as “the good way” and the other as “the not-so-good way”, while stressing that his administration’s position would become clear soon.
Vance links settlement to reduced uranium enrichment
The US president’s remarks coincided with Vice-President JD Vance stressing that ending the war would require Iran to make a “substantial” reduction in its uranium-enrichment capability. Vance said any agreement must include practical steps to reduce those capabilities, rather than mere pledges to do so in the future.
Vance questioned why Iran needed to produce fuel enriched to 60% if it was not seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon, stressing that Washington remained open to reaching an agreement but was awaiting tangible Iranian concessions on the nuclear issue. He also said that the United States was in contact with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Tehran proposes seven-day plan
In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he had presented intermediaries in New York with a detailed proposal containing Tehran’s conditions and considerations, explaining that the step had been taken at the direction of the Iranian authorities authorised to make decisions. The proposal centres on a seven-day plan to build confidence and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as part of broader arrangements aimed at ending the war.
Tehran had received a response and counterproposal from Washington through Qatari intermediaries. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the US proposal differed little from Washington’s previous positions and focused primarily on nuclear issues, adding that his country would provide additional points after completing its review of the proposals.
Baghaei said US officials knew Iran’s decision-making mechanism and the bodies representing it in contacts, in response to US statements questioning which party in Tehran had the authority to make decisions. From the Iranian perspective, he said, the obstacle lay in what he described as conflicting positions and messages from the US administration.
The dispute centres on the sequence for implementing commitments and the Strait of Hormuz
The mechanism and sequence for implementing commitments remain among the main points of disagreement. Iran is seeking to link the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to the fulfilment of its demands concerning an end to military operations, the blockade and sanctions, while Washington is focused on securing Iranian measures related to nuclear enrichment before proceeding with a broader settlement.
Washington and Tehran are presenting conflicting accounts of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. US officials have said that oil flows through the waterway have increased and that Iranian forces are no longer able to disrupt energy exports on a large scale, while Iranian officials have maintained that their forces still control the strait and will confront what they describe as illegal shipping routes.
These developments come on the 113th day since Washington and Tehran signed the memorandum of understanding, and 222 days after the war between the two sides began. The memorandum was intended to provide a framework for ending the fighting, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and launching negotiations on disputed issues, but its process stalled, military operations resumed and pressure was exchanged.
Indirect contacts through intermediaries are continuing as each side remains committed to its priorities. Washington is demanding a reduction in Iran’s enrichment capabilities, while Tehran is linking any progress to guarantees that the war will end and that commitments concerning the strait and sanctions will be implemented. The two sides have not yet announced a final formula or an agreed timetable for implementing the exchanged proposals.
