Iran Ready To Open Hormuz In 7 Days If US Lifts Blockade, Rubio Open To Talks

Iran on Tuesday said that it is ready to open the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the US ⁠eases military pressure and lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, Reuters reported, citing a senior Iranian official.

The official told Reuters that the Iranian delegation, which is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, has full authority to revive diplomacy with the United States.

"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", he said.

"The UN General Assembly is a golden opportunity for the US to return to diplomacy", he added.

While speaking to NBC, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio said that the US was open to speaking with Iran at the UN General Assembly. He said that although no talks have been scheduled between the two countries, "we're certainly open to something like that, especially if it has the ‌prospects of leading to something positive".

The comments come after the Iranian military was informed that the US was planning for renewed strikes with the support of regional countries.

On Sunday, Iran's military command warned that if the US goes through with the planned attacks, Tehran would retaliate "without limitations and considerations".

The official told the news agency that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will not meet US President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly. 

Moreover, the US government has strictly limited the movement of Pezeshkian's delegation, permitting travel only between their Manhattan hotel and the UN headquarters. Additionally, the US denied visas to members of the Iranian president's high-level communications team, including members of the President's media team, with the state-run news agency IRNA describing it as an unprecedented hostile action by Washington.

However, the US state department will be providing a security detail to Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi while he is in New York for the meeting.

On July 14, the US military resumed enforcement of the blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas.

The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a major flashpoint in the escalating US-Iran confrontation. The strategic waterway is a crucial route for global energy shipments, and restrictions on maritime traffic have raised concerns over further disruption to international trade and oil supplies.

Nearly seven months into the US-Iran war, neither side has looked ready to make major concessions needed to end the fighting and with global energy markets already stretched, the conflict continues to spill over into other crises around the region.