Araghchi meets Witkoff, ties Hormuz reopening to lifting US naval blockade
Iran also called for an end to the war across all "resistance" fronts as shipping through the strait stayed severely disrupted
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Map: The Gulf and Hormuz, marking Strait of Hormuz
UpdateTuesday, September 22, 2026 at 7:45 PM ET
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said he held lengthy talks with the Iranian delegation through mediators and that the mediators will keep working after the session. He said he hopes the talks prove constructive and promising. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States does not target civilians and accused Iran of doing so, and warned separately that a nuclear-armed Iran could threaten to close the strait. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it will defend itself if the United States strikes a site it calls Pickaxe Mountain. President Trump said the conflict could end after the midterm elections, or possibly sooner, and pointed to U.S. efforts to help restore oil flow through the strait.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff at the UN General Assembly. Tehran said the talks centered on its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including an end to the U.S. naval blockade and the release of frozen Iranian assets.
Shipping through the strait remained severely disrupted. Just two commodity vessels crossed on Monday, against a pre-conflict average of about 125 large commercial ships a day.
The meeting repeats demands Tehran has held throughout the standoff, and the gap between what it wants and what Washington has indicated it will give remains wide. Recent commentary had pointed to momentum toward a deal. This meeting shows how conditional and contentious any agreement would be, and makes a resolution in the near term less likely.