September 24 in Military History — On This Day

⚔️📍 Tarrytown, New York1780

Major André Captured — Arnold's Spy Ring Exposed

American militiamen captured British Major John André, who was carrying secret papers with Arnold's plans for West Point hidden in his boot. When confronted, André initially claimed to be a returning American officer, but the papers gave him away.

André's capture exposed Arnold's treason and inadvertently saved West Point — the most important American fortification — from British capture.

Outcome

André captured; treason exposed; Arnold escapes to British

The Seven-Day Plan

On September 24 and 25, 2026, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi set out a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to normal traffic within a week if the United States carried out its commitments under the June 17 memorandum on an accelerated timeline: releasing $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets, lifting oil sanctions and ending the naval blockade. All hostilities, including in Lebanon, would stop for the seven days, and talks on a final deal would begin on the seventh. Qatar carried the proposal. Within hours The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had ruled it out, and he posted a map relabelling the waterway the 'Trump Strait'; the Journal also reported that he had told aides he expected a new bombing campaign after the midterm elections. Indirect talks through Qatar nonetheless continued into October.

Set out, for the first time since July, the exchange both sides were circling: Hormuz for the blockade and the frozen assets. Its terms became the reference point for the indirect talks that followed.

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