Iran has set six sweeping conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, effectively rejecting expectations of an imminent return to normal shipping through the strategic waterway unless the United States makes major political, military and financial concessions.
In a statement issued by Mohammad Baqer Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Tehran said the strait would remain closed until Washington ends what it described as hostile behaviour towards Iran.
The demands include an end to US threats and military action against Iran, a permanent end to the war, the withdrawal of US naval and air forces from the region around Iran, compensation for war-related losses, the lifting of sanctions and the unconditional release of frozen Iranian assets.
The conditions raise fresh doubts over diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran and whether any emerging agreement can deliver a rapid reopening of the waterway, a critical artery for global oil and gas supplies.
The statement is particularly significant because it indicates that the much-discussed US-Iran draft agreement does not, from Tehran’s perspective, amount to an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
