Iran puts Washington on a 4-day clock over Strait of Hormuz

Iran has put Washington on a four-to-five-day deadline to meet its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, potentially turning the strategic waterway into a renewed flashpoint.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Tehran had given the United States “four or five days” to implement its conditions in full.

He did not specify what Iran would do if Washington rejects them, saying Tehran would decide its “next step” after the deadline.

Rezaei said the conditions must be implemented “completely and all at once”, adding that Iran would not reopen Hormuz or proceed with negotiations unless Washington acts first.

His remarks marked a harder line than earlier Iranian statements, which had suggested the strait could reopen within seven days if the US eased military pressure and lifted its blockade of Iranian ports.

“Talk is enough. Negotiations are enough. Now we must act,” Rezaei said, according to The Guardian.

The Guardian rendered Rezaei's remarks as one in which he was demanding US action on Iran’s conditions before Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz or resume negotiations.

Other reports, including from Iran’s Press TV, translate or paraphrase the underlying Persian language more concisely as: “Enough with negotiations. Take action.”

The Iranian regime wanted Washington to formally declare that it was seeking a diplomatic solution and agree on a timetable for negotiations.

Tehran's proposal had been delivered to the US through mediators on September 16.

The latest warning, however, adds a much shorter political deadline: Rezaei said Washington now has four to five days to meet Tehran's conditions.

Iranian officials have indicated that the conditions include lifting US sanctions and ending military action on all fronts.

The Guardian reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi conveyed seven preconditions during discussions in New York, including the lifting of US sanctions and an end to the war on all fronts.

The Strait of Hormuz links the Arabian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea and is a critical route for global energy shipments.

Shipping through the waterway remains severely depressed.

Preliminary data cited by Reuters showed 10 commodity vessels crossed Hormuz on Wednesday, up from seven the previous day but still below the 10-day average of about 17.

The figures, however, exclude vessels that may have switched off their transponders, as reported by maritime trackers.

The disruption has contributed to higher oil prices and raised concerns among major energy-importing economies, particularly in Asia.

The Hormuz ultimatum also comes with warnings that the conflict could spread beyond the immediate theatre.

Senior Iranian military figures have suggested that any further US escalation could trigger Iranian retaliation elsewhere.

Maj Gen Rahim Safavi warned that a new conflict front could emerge around the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, a crucial shipping route near Yemen.

Iranian officials have increasingly framed the crisis as a choice for Washington: reduce military pressure and pursue diplomacy, or face further escalation.

At the same time, Trump has said the Iranian regime has signalled that it is willing to make a "deal".

In response, Iranian officials said they are willing to negotiate and reopen Hormuz within seven days if Washington takes what Iranian officials describe as concrete steps.

The deadline comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff have held discussions on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

But Washington has played down expectations of an immediate breakthrough. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it would be wrong to characterise the discussions as a major breakthrough, according to The Guardian.

The diplomatic channel therefore remains open, but the four-to-five-day deadline raises the stakes considerably.

For global energy markets, the immediate question is whether Washington responds to Tehran's conditions — and whether Iran follows through on its threat to keep Hormuz closed if it does not.