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Iran25 September, 20263 min read

Ghalibaf Says Iran’s Parliament Speaker Will Keep Strait of Hormuz Closed Until U.S. Meets Seven Conditions

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Ghalibaf: Hormuz will stay closed until seven conditions are met. Iran says seven conditions were conveyed to the US via mediators.

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Ghalibaf Says Iran’s Parliament Speaker Will Keep Strait of Hormuz Closed Until U.S. Meets Seven Conditions
Image: 조선일보

Hormuz Stays Closed

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets Iran’s seven conditions based on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. Ghalibaf said, “The Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until our seven conditions based on the Islamabad memorandum are met,” and he added that Iran is “present on the military battlefield and will confront them with new surprises.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Bagheri said the U.S. proposal focuses on the nuclear issue while Tehran wants to concentrate on the Hormuz Strait, and Bagheri added that the return of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency was not discussed. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran is “serious about finding diplomatic solutions just as we are serious about defending ourselves,” while warning that if the U.S. takes military action again, Iran is “more prepared than before and will take whatever action is necessary to defend ourselves.”

Image from 1News
Image: 1News
Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraAajil

Mediation and Conditions

Iran said the United States made “some proposals through a mediator” days after the U.S. replied to Iran’s diplomatic proposal, and Nournews quoted Ghalibaf describing the U.S. approach as part of a contradiction in its rhetoric. Ghalibaf told a parliamentary session, “The period of buying time and imposing unilateral demands is over,” and he stressed that Iran does not formulate national security based on U.S. officials’ tweets. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran’s plan could lead to the Strait of Hormuz reopening within seven days if accepted, and he told foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Tehran that Iran’s conditions are tied to commitments the United States would have to accept.

Araghchi warned that if the United States chooses military action again, Iran is “more prepared than before and will take whatever action is necessary to defend ourselves,” while Iran’s spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said reopening the strait has been Iran’s main goal. CNBC said the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported a crude oil tanker being hit by an unknown projectile four nautical miles east of Oman, and it said another tanker was reported as being similarly struck Sunday in the Strait of Hormuz, causing damage to its engine room.

Image from 20Minutos
Image: 20Minutos
Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraCNBC

War, Shipping, and Leverage

Iran tied the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to implementing its seven conditions, and it said the navigation routes in the strait will remain closed until those conditions are fulfilled. Ghalibaf said during a public parliamentary session, “We confirm our full on-the-ground presence, and we will continue to confront the adversaries with unexpected initiatives,” while he argued that Iran will not hostage its national security to statements or tweets issued by American officials. CNN Arabic said Ghalibaf renewed his stance that the strait will remain closed until the seven conditions are met, and it quoted IRNA saying, “Iran will not mortgage its national security to statements or tweets issued by American officials.”

Anadolu Ajansı said Ghalibaf told the media that the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened unless the seven conditions Tehran presented to Washington via Qatari intermediaries are implemented. Al Jazeera said the Strait of Hormuz has been largely blocked and disrupted for more than seven months since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, driving one of the worst maritime shipping disruptions in decades.

Reporting for this sectionCNNAl Jazeera