7 Days: Iran Says That's All It Needs to Reopen a Waterway Choking Global Oil Supply

Iran 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. The official said Washington needs to officially announce it wants a diplomatic resolution and agree on a timeline for the process to move forward.

The Warning That Came First

This offer follows a starker message on Sunday, when Iran's military central command said it had been informed the US was preparing to restart military operations with regional support, warning this would trigger Tehran's retaliation "without limitations and considerations."

New York as the Meeting Point

The Iranian delegation at the UN General Assembly has full authority to revive diplomacy with the US, according to the official, who said Tehran's proposal was already delivered to Washington via mediators on September 16. President Masoud Pezeshkian left Tehran for New York on Tuesday but will not meet President Trump at UN headquarters.

"A Golden Opportunity"

The official called the UN General Assembly "a golden opportunity for the US to return to diplomacy," adding that Tehran would welcome renewed diplomacy if Washington takes tangible steps.

The Bottom Line

A seven-day reopening offer, a delivered proposal already sitting with mediators, and a full-authority delegation in New York — Iran has laid out a concrete, time-bound path back to normalcy. Whether Washington treats this UNGA week as that "golden opportunity" or lets it pass is now the question hanging over global oil markets.