Mohsen Rezaei, the newly appointed secretary-general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), warned on the 11th (local time) that Iran will not open the Strait of Hormuz unless the United States ends the war and releases frozen Iranian funds.

During a meeting with the Chinese ambassador to Iran, Secretary-General Rezaei criticized, saying, "The United States is the source of instability in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman," adding that "it has endangered the entire region by forcing an illegal war on Iran."

He went on to strongly pressure the U.S. to lift sanctions and return the frozen funds, stating, "The Strait of Hormuz will never be opened until the United States changes its attitude and accepts Iran's conditions."

In addition, Secretary-General Rezaei demanded an end to all regional wars, including in Lebanon and Gaza, as well as the fulfillment of other conditions conveyed to the U.S. side through intermediaries.

Secretary-General Rezaei also emphasized, "Even if an agreement is reached between Iran and Oman regarding the shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, this is a completely separate issue from the matter of maintaining the blockade of the strait."

Secretary-General Rezaei was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 1981 at the age of 27 during the Iran-Iraq War, serving for 16 years until 1997.

As a conventional military figure who led the Revolutionary Guard during the period when Iran established itself as an Islamic Republic, starting with the eight-year war with Iraq, he was appointed as the SNSC secretary-general on the 9th.