Iran ready to reopen Strait of Hormuz if US eases military pressure, lifts blockade

Jerusalem Post/Middle East/Iran NewsAn Iranian official said that Tehran would welcome a revival of diplomacy if Washington takes tangible steps.Follow us on GoogleVessels transit the Hormuz Strait off the coast of Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas on September 7, 2026.(photo credit: ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)SEPTEMBER 22, 2026 13:35Iran can reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the United States eases military pressure and lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday.On Sunday, Iran's military central command said it was informed the US was preparing to restart military operations with the support of regional countries, and warned this would lead to Tehran's retaliation "without limitations and considerations.""The US needs to announce that it wants to resolve the issue diplomatically, make that official, and then agree on a timeline for how the process will move forward," the senior Iranian official said, adding that the Iranian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly is in New York and has full authority to revive diplomacy with the United States.Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, who left Tehran for New York on Tuesday morning, will not meet US President Donald Trump at the UN headquarters in New York, the official told Reuters.A handout photo made available by the Iranian Presidential Office shows Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian attending a press conference in the capital Tehran, on August 8, 2026. (credit: Iranian Presidential Office / AFP via Getty Images)Iranian official: Tehran delivered its proposal to US via mediators on September 16The Iranian official said details of an agreement to end hostilities with Washington can be discussed in New York through mediators, explaining that Tehran delivered its proposal to the US via mediators on September 16."The UN General Assembly is a golden opportunity for the US to return to diplomacy," the official said, adding that Tehran would welcome a revival of diplomacy if Washington takes tangible steps.Follow us on Google