Iran's Chief Negotiator: "Strait of Hormuz Will Not Reopen Until Our Demands Are Met"

▲ Iranian vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran has stated that it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the conditions it demanded of the United States are met.

Reuters reported on the 4th (local time) that Iran's state-run Nour News cited Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the parliament and chief negotiator for the end of the war, as making the remarks.

Ghalibaf said, "The U.S. side, which sings a different tune in the media, recently made a proposal through a mediator." He added, "However, they must understand that the era of dragging out the process and forcing unilateral demands is over."

Ghalibaf emphasized, "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 (MOU) are met."

On the occasion of the UN General Assembly last month, Iran proposed a "7-day confidence-building plan" to the U.S. side.

According to foreign media, Iran proposed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the U.S. fulfills conditions such as lifting the maritime blockade, immediately returning frozen funds, exempting Iranian crude oil export sanctions, and halting combat on all fronts.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with mediators in Doha, Qatar, on the 29th of last month to receive the U.S. response to this proposal.

Although specific details were not disclosed, Ghalibaf's renewed pressure on the U.S., conditional on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, suggests that a satisfactory response was not received.

Previously, a source told Reuters, "The core disagreement between the two sides is the implementation sequence of this plan."

This is interpreted as meaning that the two countries are engaged in a war of nerves over whether the U.S. should first fulfill the conditions proposed by Iran or whether Iran should first open the Strait of Hormuz.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)

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