Iran Says Strait of Hormuz Will Stay Closed Until Seven Conditions Are Met
PARIS, Oct 5 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until seven conditions contained in a June interim agreement with the United States are met, parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said, according to Iranian state media.
Qalibaf said Tehran’s position was tied to what he called the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and rejected what he described as delays and unilateral demands from Washington.
Iran had presented a proposal during the United Nations General Assembly under which normal maritime passage through the strait could resume within seven days if the conditions were fulfilled. The United States responded last week through Qatari intermediaries, according to the Reuters report.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghadei said Tehran had conveyed its broad position on the US response through mediators, while additional points still needed to be communicated.
He said the American proposals largely reflected Washington’s previous positions, particularly on the nuclear issue, but added that Tehran’s immediate focus was the Strait of Hormuz and restoring security in the waterway.
Baghadei also denied that Iran had offered inspections of its nuclear facilities by the UN nuclear watchdog in return for sanctions relief, saying Tehran had not entered nuclear negotiations with Washington.
A document being circulated outlines a seven-day trust-building period aimed at bringing both sides back to an enhanced version of the June memorandum, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters last week.
According to the official, the main dispute concerns the order in which the measures would be implemented rather than the individual elements of the plan.
Qatar has been relaying messages between Washington and Tehran in an effort to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key route that carried about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas before the war began at the end of February following US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
The June memorandum produced a brief ceasefire and included provisions concerning both the strait and Iran’s nuclear program.
Separately, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Tehran on Sunday that Iran hoped Washington would choose diplomacy but warned that Tehran was prepared to respond if the United States resumed military action.
“If they again move towards military solutions, we are more prepared than before and will take whatever action is necessary to defend ourselves,” Araqchi said, according to Reuters.
Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia also told Faras news agency on Sunday that Iran would increase the range of its missiles.
