Tehran Ties Strait of Hormuz Reopening to End of U.S. Naval Blockade

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published October 24, 2026

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Iran remains willing to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz if the United States ends its naval blockade of Iranian ports, Tehran's ambassador to Pakistan said Saturday, renewing a diplomatic proposal that has yet to resolve the standoff between Washington and Tehran.

Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam said Iranian officials had communicated the offer through Pakistan during visits to Tehran by Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Speaking at a seminar in Islamabad, he accused U.S. President Donald Trump of rejecting the proposal by insisting that the blockade remain in place, according to The Associated Press.

The remarks come as negotiations remain stalled over the order in which both countries would ease restrictions. Iran wants relief from the U.S. blockade and oil-related sanctions, while Washington has pressed for negotiations addressing Tehran's nuclear program from the outset.

The latest statement does not mark Iran's first attempt to secure such an arrangement. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on October 18 that a proposal submitted in September remained available, offering to reopen the strait within days if Washington accepted Tehran's conditions. Reuters reported that those demands also included an end to hostilities across regional fronts.

Pakistan and Qatar previously helped broker an interim agreement in June intended to restore maritime traffic, remove the American blockade and pave the way for broader negotiations. That agreement subsequently broke down, leaving both sides reluctant to surrender their main bargaining positions, according to Reuters' earlier account of the negotiations.

There has been no announced U.S. acceptance of the proposal or confirmed date for renewed negotiations. The unresolved dispute continues to affect one of the world's most important energy shipping routes, which carried roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the conflict.