DOMINANT ANGLE
Tehran is setting its conditions for any reopening of the Ormuz Strait: lifting the blockade, ending petroleum sanctions, and a ceasefire extended to Lebanon, without affecting the nuclear program.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Araghchi told Sergey Lavrov that insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz is "the direct result of the US breaching its commitments and taking criminal actions" (Mehr News).
- 02
The Tasnim agency reported that the three-hour direct contact between Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff in New York on Tuesday was not authorized by Iranian decision-making bodies, calling it a "major mistake" (Iran International).
- 03
President Massoud Pezeshkian devoted the opening and closing of his UN speech to rejecting Donald Trump's accusations, saying he welcomes negotiations but refuses any "intimidation", while Tehran rules out any nuclear concessions (Iran International).
ANALYSIS
Tehran, September 26, 2026. In New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Iranian diplomacy is multiplying contacts while locking in its red lines. On Friday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and repeated that the insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz is "the direct result of the United States' breach of their commitments and their criminal actions against Iran," according to Mehr News. He detailed the agreement concluded with Oman to establish a safe maritime route in the strait, entrusting mediators with transmitting Tehran's conditions to Washington for a return to the diplomatic process. On the same day, before the Arab League Secretary-General and then during a meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization, Araghchi denounced a "terrorist and unjustified" aggression by the United States and Israel, citing more than 4,000 civilians killed, including 168 schoolchildren in Minab, and the death of the Supreme Leader.
These seven conditions, according to the Tasnim agency, close to the Revolutionary Guards, were supposed to remain confined to an indirect channel via mediators. But a direct three-hour contact between Araghchi and American envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday in New York sparked internal controversy: Tasnim reported on Wednesday that this rapprochement had not been authorized by the decision-making bodies, including the Supreme National Security Council, calling it a "major mistake" and demanding explanations from the minister. This is a sign of a fault line less about pursuing dialogue than about the degree of proximity to Washington.
In substance, Tehran excludes any concession on the nuclear program, even if Washington accepted the proposal on Hormuz. On Wednesday, before the General Assembly, President Massoud Pezeshkian devoted the opening and closing of his speech to rejecting Donald Trump's accusations, saying he welcomes negotiations but refuses any "intimidation". For Tehran, the reopening of the strait depends first on verifiable American gestures - lifting the blockade, oil sanctions, and a ceasefire extended to Lebanon - before any resumption of talks, including nuclear ones.
