# Iran tells US envoy Hormuz reopening depends on lifting ‘naval blockade’ and unfreezing assets

*Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 8:08 PM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-09-22T20:08:02.802Z (1h ago)
**Category**: geopolitics | **Region**: Middle East
**Importance**: 9/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/18563.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Iranian media say Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi used a rare meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff in New York to outline conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including ending what Tehran calls a naval blockade, releasing frozen assets, and easing sanctions.

Iran is tying the fate of the Strait of Hormuz to relief from US pressure.

Iranian state media report that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met US envoy Steve Witkoff on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly after repeated requests from the American side. According to the Iranian broadcasting authority, officials used the meeting to spell out conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran’s stated conditions include the immediate lifting of what it describes as a naval blockade, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and an easing of sanctions. The Iranian account frames the encounter as a channel to communicate these demands rather than to negotiate on US terms.

From the US side, Trump says Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a three‑hour conversation with Iranian representatives and that it was a very good meeting. He also says there is momentum for Iran to make a deal and that another meeting is expected.

The military backdrop is tense. An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson says that if the United States attacks Iran at any point, Iran will defend itself with all its power, adding that decisions on how to respond are a military matter and will not be signaled in advance. The spokesperson says Iran will not engage in Hollywood‑style propaganda and will show its response through action.

European leaders are trying to keep traffic through Hormuz out of this confrontation. French President Emmanuel Macron told the UN that there is an independent multinational coalition aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait. He argues that Hormuz must not be used for blackmail and calls secure passage and stable energy supplies a cardinal principle of international law and in the interests of all states.

US sanctions are also squeezing Iran in the air. Iran’s civil aviation authority says Baghdad and Muscat airports will stop accepting flights from Iran from midnight on 22 September. Azerbaijan’s aviation authority cites US sanctions as the reason for suspending Iranian airline flights to Azerbaijan.

The most important signals in the near term will be whether follow‑up meetings between US and Iranian officials produce any shift in Iran’s stated conditions, whether incidents or harassment around Hormuz ease or worsen, and whether European efforts to guarantee navigation in the strait remain limited to patrols and statements or evolve into more assertive measures.