US, Iran discuss phased deal to reopen Hormuz and end US blockade, sources say

U.S. and Iranian negotiators in New York are exploring a phased deal to end the nearly seven-month conflict, with Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Washington lifting its economic blockade. The talks center on leverage, with each side wanting concessions before giving up pressure. A senior Iranian official said the first step would be ending the blockade and reopening Hormuz. The arrangement could also involve Tehran gaining access to frozen assets.

The talks were taking place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Donald Trump said he thought the U.S. and Iran could reach a deal after the midterm elections on November 3.

A senior Iranian official said Tehran could drop its demand for payment of transit fees from the main agreement and place it in a side attachment.

The U.S. has added new sanctions on Iran, including measures this month targeting its remaining commercial airlines and support networks.

Former U.S. negotiator Dennis Ross said he saw only a 30% chance of an agreement before the vote.

Published Sep 25, 2026 1:33 am KST

People walk past a billboard about the Strait of Hormuz, on a building in Tehran, Iran, Sept. 16. West Asia News Agency via Reuters-Yonhap

U.S. and Iran discuss phased deal to reopen Hormuz and end U.S. blockade, U.S. and Iranian negotiators in New York are exploring a phased path out of war that would involve Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Washington lifting its economic blockade of Iran, sources close to the talks said.

The strait has become the central bargaining chip in efforts to end the nearly seven-month U.S.-Iran conflict, with Iran seeking relief from the U.S. blockade that is choking its economy and Washington seeking free passage for ships on the global oil supply route now blocked by Tehran.

The talks face a big obstacle as neither side wants to be the first to surrender its leverage, according to comments to Reuters by two Iranian sources, two regional officials and two Western diplomatic sources, but behind Iran's stance is a recognition of the economic cost of prolonged confrontation.

A senior Iranian official said the most plausible way to end the impasse would be a phased arrangement, with Iran allowing navigation through Hormuz in return for the U.S. lifting its economic blockade and Tehran potentially gaining access to frozen assets.

"One way forward would be to solve the crisis in stages. The first would be to end the blockade and reopen Hormuz," he said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

That would involve U.S. President Donald Trump accepting another temporary fix, after an earlier understanding collapsed in July. So a central challenge facing the negotiators is not just to sketch out a deal but also to ensure any concessions are durable enough for both sides to trust, the sources said.

Trump has said he thinks the U.S. and Iran could reach a deal after midterm elections to Congress on November 3. A senior European official said the Iranians "have a very long list of demands."

The White House and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this article.

Former U.S. negotiator Dennis Ross said he saw only a 30% chance of an agreement being reached before the vote, but that both sides may have stronger reasons to make a deal before than after the midterms.

"The blockade is what's really squeezing the Iranians. It's strangling them," Ross said.

A deal before the midterms could benefit Trump, as reopening Hormuz could ease tensions in the Gulf, contain oil prices and help bring down politically sensitive U.S. gasoline prices.

Iran's chances of gaining much-needed economic relief may be greater while Trump still has a greater political incentive to strike a bargain.

After the midterms, Ross said, Trump may face fewer constraints and be more willing to intensify pressure or consider military options.

Leverage as obstacle?

The leverage that brought Washington and Tehran back to negotiations could also make compromise harder.

Washington controls the pressure that is hurting Tehran most, while Tehran controls access to a critical energy chokepoint. Neither side wants to surrender that leverage without extracting something tangible in return.

This means the midterms may be less a deadline for diplomacy than for preserving the conditions that make the diplomatic efforts possible. If Washington and Tehran cannot turn leverage into a deal before the midterms, the diplomatic window could narrow as the risk of escalation grows.

Even as it seeks a diplomatic off-ramp, Tehran is preparing for the possibility of renewed war with Washington, the Iranian official said, accusing the U.S. of using the economic blockade and threat of force as tools of coercion.

"Our fingers are on the trigger,” said the senior Iranian official. “The Americans know what they need to do but, because of their excessive demands, the chances of diplomacy resolving this are extremely low.”

Regional sources said Tehran was willing to drop a demand for payment of transit fees to use the Strait of Hormuz from the main agreement and put the demand in a side attachment instead, as ending the blockade had become the more urgent priority.

Gulf states have rejected the proposal for payment of transit fees. Any arrangement would be temporary, not a formal abandonment of Iran’s position, the regional sources said.

The U.S. has tightened the economic vice on Iran, layering new sanctions on top of a blockade that has choked off Iran's oil exports, an important source of hard currency.

This month, it targeted Iran's remaining commercial airlines and support networks as part of a campaign to sever the economic lifelines sustaining the government and the powerful Revolutionary Guards. Trump warned that Iran's economy could "rot" unless it reached a deal.

"Iran is not primarily focused on imposing tolls in Hormuz but on preserving its administrative control of the waterway,” he said. "Iran may be willing to defer the toll issue, but they are not going to give up administrative control of the strait.”

At the heart of the diplomacy in New York is a fundamental tension. Washington wants pressure to produce concessions, Tehran wants pressure removed before making them, and the Gulf states want the conflict resolved without allowing the region's strategic waterways to become enduring bargaining chips.

Fears of an open-ended conflict

During a separate meeting with Trump in New York, Gulf leaders sought clarity on Washington's endgame beyond the midterms, including on whether the U.S. would resume military action if Iran refused to return to negotiations.

They conveyed their collective rejection of any Iranian control of Hormuz, saying freedom of navigation must be restored and that the strategic waterway should not become a tool of coercion against Gulf states, regional sources said.

Yet alongside their warnings over Hormuz, Gulf leaders have pressed hard for de-escalation and a political process, reflecting the region's determination to stay out of any further conflict between the U.S. and Iran.

"It's still not clear what Trump’s endgame is, or what the alternative to the pressure campaign would be," said Ebtessam al-Ketbi, president of the Emirates Policy Center think tank based in Abu Dhabi.

"The Iranians, by contrast, know what they want. They're reshaping the regional landscape through Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb with a clear objective while Washington has yet to define its roadmap," she said, referring to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

That uncertainty is also shaping Tehran’s calculations. Danny Citrinowicz, a regional analyst and former Israeli military intelligence officer, said the New York talks had not altered the basic positions of either side and that Iran was unlikely to retreat as long as it believed Trump wanted to avoid a wider escalation before the midterms.

“The blockade is hurting them, but rather than softening their position, it is likely to drive them to escalate because they believe that if they soften their position, they are dead," said Alan Eyre, a former U.S. negotiator on Iran.

A Western official familiar with the talks added: "It is all about opening the Strait of Hormuz. We're all under pressure domestically and the Iranians know that."

美国和伊朗的谈判代表正在纽约探讨分阶段结束这场持续近七个月的冲突的方案，方案包括德黑兰重新开放霍尔木兹海峡，以及华盛顿解除经济封锁。谈判的焦点在于双方的筹码，都希望在放弃施压前获得一些让步。一位伊朗高级官员表示，第一步将是解除封锁并重新开放霍尔木兹海峡。该方案还可能包括德黑兰获得被冻结资产的解冻。

会谈是在纽约联合国大会期间举行的。

唐纳德·特朗普表示，他认为美国和伊朗可以在11月3日中期选举后达成协议。

一位伊朗高级官员表示，德黑兰可能会在主协议中放弃支付过境费的要求，并将其作为一项附加条款提出。

美国对伊朗实施了新的制裁，包括本月针对其剩余商业航空公司和支持网络的措施。

美国前谈判代表丹尼斯·罗斯表示，投票前他认为达成协议的可能性只有30%。

发布于2026年9月25日凌晨1点33分（韩国标准时间）

9月16日，人们走过伊朗德黑兰一栋建筑上关于霍尔木兹海峡的广告牌。图片来源：西亚通讯社（路透社-韩联社）

据接近谈判的消息人士称，美国和伊朗正在纽约讨论分阶段重新开放霍尔木兹海峡并结束美国封锁的协议，双方谈判代表正在探讨一条分阶段结束战争的途径，该途径将涉及德黑兰重新开放霍尔木兹海峡，以及华盛顿解除对伊朗的经济封锁。

霍尔木兹海峡已成为结束近七个月的美伊冲突的核心筹码，伊朗寻求解除美国对其经济的封锁，而华盛顿则寻求让船只自由通行目前被德黑兰封锁的全球石油供应路线。

据路透社援引两名伊朗消息人士、两名地区官员和两名西方外交消息人士的话报道，谈判面临巨大障碍，因为双方都不愿率先放弃自己的筹码。但伊朗的立场背后是认识到长期对抗的经济代价。

一位伊朗高级官员表示，结束僵局最可行的办法是分阶段安排，伊朗允许船只通过霍尔木兹海峡航行，以换取美国解除经济封锁，德黑兰也有可能获得被冻结的资产。

“解决危机的一个办法是分阶段进行。第一步是结束封锁，重新开放霍尔木兹港，”他在联合国大会间隙说道。

消息人士称，这意味着美国总统特朗普将接受另一项临时解决方案，此前双方达成的谅解在7月份破裂。因此，谈判人员面临的核心挑战不仅在于拟定协议框架，还在于确保任何让步都足够持久，能够赢得双方的信任。

特朗普曾表示，他认为美国和伊朗可能会在11月3日国会中期选举后达成协议。一位欧洲高级官员表示，伊朗方面“提出了一长串要求”。

白宫和美国国务院尚未就本文置评。

美国前谈判代表丹尼斯·罗斯表示，他认为在投票前达成协议的可能性只有 30%，但双方可能都有更充分的理由在中期选举前达成协议，而不是在中期选举后。

罗斯说：“封锁才是真正让伊朗人感到压力巨大的因素。它正在扼杀他们。”

在中期选举前达成协议可能对特朗普有利，因为重新开放霍尔木兹海峡可以缓解海湾地区的紧张局势，控制油价，并有助于降低政治敏感的美国汽油价格。

如果特朗普仍有更大的政治动机达成协议，那么伊朗获得急需的经济援助的机会可能会更大。

罗斯表示，中期选举后，特朗普可能面临较少的约束，并更愿意加大施压力度或考虑军事选项。

杠杆反而成了障碍？

促使华盛顿和德黑兰重返谈判桌的筹码，也可能使妥协变得更加困难。

华盛顿掌握着对德黑兰造成最大伤害的压力，而德黑兰则控制着通往关键能源咽喉要道的通道。双方都不愿在未获得任何实际回报的情况下放弃这种筹码。

这意味着，中期选举与其说是外交努力的最后期限，不如说是维护外交努力得以开展的条件的最后期限。如果华盛顿和德黑兰在中期选举前无法将筹码转化为协议，随着局势升级风险的增加，外交窗口可能会越来越窄。

这位伊朗官员表示，尽管德黑兰正在寻求外交途径脱身，但仍在为可能与华盛顿再次开战做准备，并指责美国利用经济封锁和武力威胁作为胁迫手段。

这位伊朗高级官员说：“我们已经做好了开火的准备。美国人知道他们应该怎么做，但由于他们的要求过高，通过外交途径解决问题的可能性极低。”

地区消息人士称，由于结束封锁已成为更紧迫的优先事项，德黑兰愿意从主要协议中放弃支付霍尔木兹海峡过境费的要求，并将该要求作为附加条款提出。

海湾国家拒绝了支付过境费的提议。地区消息人士称，任何安排都将是暂时的，并不代表伊朗正式放弃其立场。

美国加强了对伊朗的经济制裁，在封锁伊朗石油出口（伊朗重要的外汇来源）的基础上，又叠加了新的制裁措施。

本月，美国将目标对准了伊朗剩余的商业航空公司及其支持网络，这是旨在切断伊朗政府和强大的革命卫队经济命脉的行动的一部分。特朗普警告说，除非伊朗达成协议，否则其经济可能会“崩溃”。

他说：“伊朗的主要目的并非在霍尔木兹海峡征收通行费，而是维护其对该水道的行政控制权。伊朗或许愿意推迟通行费问题，但他们绝不会放弃对海峡的行政控制权。”

纽约外交的核心在于一种根本性的矛盾。华盛顿希望通过施压迫使对方做出让步，德黑兰则希望在做出让步前消除压力，而海湾国家则希望在不让该地区战略水道成为长期谈判筹码的情况下解决冲突。

对旷日持久冲突的担忧

在纽约与特朗普的另一次会晤中，海湾国家领导人寻求明确华盛顿在中期选举后的最终目标，包括如果伊朗拒绝重返谈判桌，美国是否会恢复军事行动。

据地区消息人士称，他们集体表示反对伊朗对霍尔木兹河的任何控制，并称必须恢复航行自由，这条战略水道不应成为胁迫海湾国家的工具。

然而，尽管海湾领导人就霍尔木兹海峡问题发出警告，但他们也大力推动局势缓和和政治进程，这反映出该地区决心不卷入美国和伊朗之间的任何进一步冲突。

“目前还不清楚特朗普的最终目的是什么，或者除了施压行动之外还有什么替代方案，”总部位于阿布扎比的阿联酋政策中心智库主席埃布特萨姆·阿尔-凯特比说。

“相比之下，伊朗人知道自己想要什么。他们正通过霍尔木兹海峡和曼德海峡重塑地区格局，目标明确，而华盛顿尚未制定路线图，”她说道，这里指的是连接红海和亚丁湾的曼德海峡。

这种不确定性也影响着德黑兰的考量。地区分析师、前以色列军事情报官员丹尼·西特里诺维奇表示，纽约会谈并未改变双方的基本立场，只要伊朗相信特朗普希望在中期选举前避免局势进一步升级，伊朗就不太可能做出让步。

“封锁正在伤害他们，但这并不会软化他们的立场，反而可能促使他们升级冲突，因为他们认为如果他们软化立场，他们就完了，”美国前伊朗问题谈判代表艾伦·艾尔说。

一位熟悉会谈情况的西方官员补充说：“一切都是为了打通霍尔木兹海峡。我们都面临着国内的压力，伊朗人也明白这一点。”