PDB Afternoon Bulletin | September 22nd, 2026: Tehran Offers To Reopen Hormuz & North Korea’s New Weapon
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What is the latest development in Iran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
It's Tuesday, the twenty second of September. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right. Let's get briefed. First up, a possible diplomatic development in the Iran War. Tehran is supposedly offering to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Hmm. Haven't heard that one before. Oh wait, yes, yes, we have. But Hope Springs Eternal amongst Diplomatic folks. I'll have the details. Later in the show, North Korea says its latest missile test involved a new hypersonic weapon, as Kim Jong un shows off another system designed to challenge US and Allied missile defenses. At least Kim is consistent. Whenever he feels like he's not getting enough attention on the world stage, out comes another missile.
But first, today's afternoon spotlight. After over half a year of fighting, a US blockade, and an almost complete collapse in commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran is now reportedly, or supposedly, offering to reopen the waterway, and says it could do it within seven days. According to Reuters, a senior Iranian official says Tehran is prepared to reopen Hormuz if the US eases military pressure and lifts its blockade. aid on Iranian ports. The official also says that Iran's delegation in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly has been given full authority to revive diplomacy with Washington. Iran says it already delivered a proposal to the US through mediators on the sixteenth of September.
Why is Iran proposing a seven‑day timeline for reopening Hormuz and what does it hope to gain?
You know, it's worth pointing out that it's not clear just yet who within the Iranian regime leadership has authorized this supposed deal, which is an important point since nobody seems to particularly understand who is actually in charge within the regime. But the fact that Iran is putting a specific offer on the table, supposedly, and attaching a seven day timeline to reopening the Strait of Hormuz is notable, especially when you look at what's been happening in the Strait. Commercial traffic has nearly disappeared. Reuters reports that just two trackable commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Before this war began on the twenty eighth of February, roughly one hundred and twenty five.
Five large commercial vessels were moving through the strait every day, carrying oil, liquefied natural gas, and other cargo. The waterway normally accounts for roughly one fifth of the world's daily crude oil and LNG supply. And the security situation does remain dangerous. Over the past couple of days, two more vessels were attacked while crossing the waterway in separate incidents. One was the crude oil tanker LR Stephanie, where two two crew members reportedly suffered minor injuries. The other was an LPG carrier called the Al Moria. Both ships were able to continue under their own power. So when the Iranian regime says it's willing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in seven days, it's talking about restoring traffic through a waterway that has effectively been reduced to a trickle.
The question, of course, is why Iran is making this offer now. And the answer is both that the regime feels emboldened by its ability to negatively impact the strait, despite US intervention, and at the same time the regime is under pressure economically. The regime continues to view their leverage over the important waterway as their key strength. In addition, they've raised the stakes regionally by having their proxy, the Houthi rebels, go on the offensive in Yemen against the Saudi backed government forces. That's created further instability within the region and in global energy markets. And that likely has convinced Tehran that now is a good time to push for concessions from the US in order to
to gain relief from the economic pressure. Tehran is now apparently using the UN gathering in New York as an opportunity to see whether the US administration is keen to make a deal.
How might China use the Hormuz crisis to leverage the United States on Taiwan?
The Iranian official, who spoke to Reuters, called the General Assembly a quote golden opportunity to return to diplomacy. Iranian President Masud Bazeshkin is also traveling to New York, although Iranian officials say he's not currently expected to meet directly with President Trump.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the latest development in Iran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
0:12–1:44
2
Why is Iran proposing a seven‑day timeline for reopening Hormuz and what does it hope to gain?
1:44–4:01
3
How might China use the Hormuz crisis to leverage the United States on Taiwan?
4:01–6:20
4
What are the key points of the proposed China‑U.S. “deal” linking Middle‑East cooperation to Taiwan policy?
6:20–8:19
5
What new hypersonic weapon did North Korea claim to test and how does it work?
8:19–9:59
6
Can the claimed range and speed of North Korea’s Huasong‑11 missile be verified?
9:59–12:09
7
How does North Korea’s missile program fit into its broader regional strategy and ties with Russia and China?
12:09–14:07
8
What health‑related products are being promoted and why are they relevant to listeners?
14:07–15:43
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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