Iran Demands U.S. Troop Withdrawal and Reparations, Threatening to Keep Strait of Hormuz Closed

Iran has demanded that the United States withdraw its troops and pay reparations for war damages as conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

While suggesting that a final agreement to reopen the strategic waterway is imminent, Tehran has stepped up pressure by stating that the actual reopening depends entirely on Washington's attitude.

According to U.S. media outlets including The New York Times (NYT) and CNN, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary-general of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, released a statement through Iranian state media outlining six demands for reopening the strait.

First, Iran demanded that the United States lift its maritime blockades and sanctions against Iran, and withdraw its naval and air forces from areas surrounding the country.

Furthermore, Tehran urged Washington to compensate for damages resulting from its "war of aggression," lift all sanctions against Iran, and unfreeze Iranian assets without any preconditions.

The demands also included halting attacks on Iran's regional allies and ceasing all threats against the country.

"The Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened until the United States corrects its actions," Zolghadr emphasized.

This stance marks a hardening of positions compared to the previous memorandum of understanding (MOU) on ending hostilities agreed upon by the U.S. and Iran.

While the earlier MOU stipulated that the U.S. would lift sanctions against Iran in accordance with the schedule of a final nuclear agreement, Iran is now demanding the removal of sanctions as a strict prerequisite for reopening the strait.

The statement from Iranian officials was released as Iran and Oman, countries neighboring the Strait of Hormuz, have been discussing ways to resume navigation through the waterway.

While Iran claims that negotiations with Oman regarding the reopening are very close to reaching an agreement, it maintains that the actual reopening rests with the United States.

Sardar Mohebi, a spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), stated that "full acceptance of Iran's conditions by the U.S. and an end to its interference in regional negotiations are the conditions for opening the Strait of Hormuz," according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also stated during a press conference that "the opening of the Strait of Hormuz requires the fulfillment of other conditions, including compensation by the U.S. for its violation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding."

As a result, expectations for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz are dampening once again.

The NYT noted that "these demands have upended expectations that Iran would resume trade flows in the Strait of Hormuz through an agreement with Oman."

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has also failed to recover.

According to shipping data firm Kpler, an average of only around 10 ships per day passed through the strait last week, falling far short of one-tenth of the pre-war volume.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.