Tehran says normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz will not resume until Washington satisfies seven conditions contained in a June interim agreement, while Iranian officials insist current indirect negotiations are focused on maritime security rather than the country’s nuclear program.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Iran said Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets seven conditions contained in a June interim agreement, hardening Tehran’s position as Qatar continues carrying messages between the two governments in an effort to restore normal shipping through one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator, said Tehran has no intention of reopening the waterway before Washington fulfills the conditions established under what Iran calls the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. Iran presented the United States with a proposal during the United Nations General Assembly that could restore normal maritime passage within seven days if the required steps are carried out, according to Reuters reporting on the negotiations.
Washington delivered its response last week through Qatari intermediaries, but no agreement has been announced.
“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, are met,” Qalibaf said.
He accused the United States of attempting to prolong the negotiating process while continuing to press demands that Tehran considers unacceptable.
Washington “must understand that the period of dragging out the (diplomatic) process and dictating one-sided demands is over,” Qalibaf said.
The dispute has major implications for global energy markets because the Strait of Hormuz served as the maritime route for roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas before the conflict that began at the end of February following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
The June memorandum temporarily reduced hostilities and produced a brief ceasefire while establishing provisions involving both maritime access through the strait and Iran’s nuclear program. The latest negotiations are intended to return the two countries to an expanded version of that arrangement.
Iran, however, says reopening Hormuz — not negotiating its nuclear activities — is the immediate issue before the parties.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Sunday that Tehran had communicated its broad reaction to Washington’s response through intermediaries, although additional Iranian positions still needed to be transmitted.
“The Americans’ propositions are more or less in line with their previous positions, specifically on the nuclear issue. We told them our focus in this stage is the issue of the Strait of Hormuz and the return to security in this waterway requires clear steps from the US,” Baghaei said.
Baghaei also rejected reports that Tehran had offered to allow inspectors from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog into Iranian facilities in exchange for the lifting of U.S. sanctions.
Iran has not entered negotiations with Washington over its nuclear program during the current round of indirect contacts, he said.
The seven-day proposal circulating between the two sides calls for an initial period of confidence-building measures designed to return Washington and Tehran to an enhanced version of the June memorandum. An official briefed on the negotiations said last week that the broader framework eventually includes concrete measures concerning Iran’s nuclear program.
The principal disagreement at this stage is over the order in which the two countries would carry out their commitments rather than the overall components of the proposed arrangement, according to the official. The United States transmitted its response to Iran after Qatar stepped up mediation following Tehran’s proposal at the General Assembly. Reuters reported last week that Qatar had delivered Washington’s feedback on the seven-day plan.
Qatar has emerged as the principal intermediary between Washington and Tehran, conducting shuttle diplomacy as it seeks to end the conflict and restore dependable commercial passage through Hormuz.
The closure and disruption of the strait have affected oil and natural gas transportation throughout the Persian Gulf, adding economic pressure to diplomatic efforts to reach a new arrangement.
Iranian officials nevertheless paired their willingness to continue diplomacy with warnings that Tehran is prepared for another military confrontation if negotiations fail.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told foreign ambassadors and diplomats gathered in Tehran on Sunday that Iran hopes the United States ultimately chooses negotiations over renewed military action. He said Iran’s forces are better prepared for another confrontation than they were when the conflict began.
“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.
His warning followed reports Thursday that Iranian authorities were preparing a wider and more forceful response should Washington resume large-scale attacks against Iran.
Iran’s military also signaled that it intends to increase its offensive capabilities. Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia told the Fars news agency Sunday that Iran would expand the range of its missiles, adding another military dimension to the diplomatic standoff.
For now, Tehran is separating discussions over the Strait of Hormuz from Washington’s push to address Iran’s nuclear activities. Iranian officials maintain that the immediate objective must be restoring security and establishing terms for maritime passage before nuclear negotiations can move forward.
The United States and Iran consequently remain divided not only over what each side must do but when those actions must occur. Tehran says Washington must first satisfy the seven commitments arising from the June agreement, while the U.S. response has continued to include issues involving Iran’s nuclear program.
Qalibaf’s declaration Sunday leaves the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz contingent on resolving that sequencing dispute, with Tehran insisting the waterway will remain closed unless the seven conditions it previously negotiated with Washington are implemented.
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