Iran Says Strait of Hormuz Stays Shut Until Its Seven Conditions Are Met

Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until seven Iranian conditions set out in a June interim agreement with the United States are met, parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Sunday.

“The Americans, who say something different in the media, have recently put forward proposals through a mediator. But they must understand that the period of dragging out the process and dictating one-sided demands is over,” Qalibaf was quoted as saying, according to Reuters.

“The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is completely clear and firm, and the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until our seven conditions, based on the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, are met,” he added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, speaking to foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Tehran on Sunday, said a plan put forward by Tehran to resolve its dispute with Washington could lead to the strait reopening within seven days if accepted, according to Reuters. He added that Tehran hoped Washington would choose diplomacy but warned that Iran was ready if the United States chose military action again: “If they again move towards military solutions, we are more prepared than before.”

Separately, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy broadcast radio warnings that no vessels are permitted to cross the strait, declaring it under Iran’s “complete and decisive” control until the end of the US blockade, Reuters reported, citing an Iranian media post. An official from the European Union’s naval mission Aspides confirmed that vessels had been receiving the transmissions.

US President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that “very good conversations” were happening with Iran but that the United States would not be “blackmailed” over the waterway. The strait, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption passes, was briefly reopened by Iran on Friday before being shut again over the weekend.

Sources:

• Reuters — Iran says Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until conditions are met
• Reuters via FXStreet — Iran’s IRGC: No vessels permitted to cross the Strait of Hormuz