Date: September 22, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
Iran has signalled that it is prepared to revive diplomatic negotiations with the United States and could reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz to Gulf shipping if Washington eases military pressure and lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, according to a senior Iranian official who spoke to Reuters on Tuesday.
The comments came as U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian prepared to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, creating an opportunity for renewed diplomatic contacts between the two countries. The two presidents are not currently scheduled to meet directly, but Iranian officials said Tehran's delegation had full authority to resume negotiations.
The senior Iranian official said Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz to Gulf shipping within seven days if Washington met Tehran's conditions. Iran has also conveyed its latest proposal to the United States through mediators, according to the official.
The official described the United Nations gathering as a “golden opportunity” for Washington to return to diplomacy and said the United States would first need to formally declare that it wanted to resolve the conflict through negotiations before agreeing on a timetable for talks.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that Washington remained open to discussions with Iranian officials. Speaking to NBC's Today programme, Rubio said the United States was willing to speak with Iran if there was a prospect of achieving a positive outcome and advancing the objectives of the U.S. campaign.
Trump, however, struck a more uncompromising tone in his address to the United Nations General Assembly. He called for Iran's complete economic isolation and said he believed a deal could eventually be reached after the U.S. midterm elections in November. Later, Trump said Iran was communicating with the United States and suggested that the relationship was developing, although he did not provide details of any negotiations.
The possibility of reopening the Strait of Hormuz is particularly significant because the waterway is a major route for global energy shipments. Gulf countries are eager to restore normal shipping through the strait but are also cautious about granting Iran greater influence over a waterway that has become central to the wider conflict.
No known face-to-face meeting between Iranian and U.S. officials at the presidential level has taken place since July, when an interim agreement intended to end the conflict collapsed only weeks after being signed by Trump and Pezeshkian.
Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, meanwhile reiterated Tehran's hard-line position, saying Iran would not surrender and that Trump could not impose his will on Iran and its armed forces. His remarks underscored the gap that remains between the two sides despite the latest diplomatic signals.
Trump was also scheduled to meet the leaders of the six Gulf Arab states — Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — in New York. The Gulf states have been directly affected by the conflict, with several hosting major U.S. military facilities that have come under Iranian attack.
Saudi Arabia has faced additional pressure as Iran-aligned Houthi forces have expanded their campaign in Yemen. The Houthis have pushed back forces supported by Riyadh and are seeking control of strategic areas around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the southern entrance to the Red Sea. Their advances have raised concerns over Saudi oil exports and another important international shipping route.
There was some relief in energy markets on Tuesday after sources told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had restarted its East-West oil pipeline and could resume exports from the Red Sea port of Yanbu within hours, although at reduced volumes. The pipeline provides Saudi Arabia with an alternative route for transporting oil when shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.
The United States has so far resisted repeated Saudi requests to intervene directly against the Houthis. The New York Times reported that Trump cancelled planned U.S. strikes against Houthi targets on September 20 after preparations for the operation had already begun. Reuters said it could not independently verify the report.
A separate diplomatic proposal from Qatar is also being considered. Regional sources told Reuters that Doha has proposed a framework bringing Iran and the Arab Gulf states into a common regional security arrangement. Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said such a framework would need to provide security guarantees for Gulf countries while expanding economic ties with Iran. One regional source said Iran was reviewing the proposal.
The diplomatic activity at the United Nations comes against the backdrop of an increasingly wider regional conflict, with fighting involving Iran, Israel, the United States and Iran-aligned groups placing pressure on energy supplies, shipping routes and Gulf security.
Whether the latest signals from Tehran lead to formal negotiations remains uncertain. For now, Iran's offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and Washington's stated willingness to engage have created a potential avenue for diplomacy at a time when the conflict continues to affect the wider Middle East and global energy markets.