Hormuz Strait to remain closed until US meets interim deal conditions, Iran's top negotiator says

The Strait of Hormuz will remain shut until the US meets the conditions of an interim deal signed with Iran in June, the top Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in comments published by state media on Tuesday.These conditions include the US lifting its blockade of Iranian ports, lifting oil sanctions,releasingTehran's frozen assets, and ending threats and military operations on all fronts, Ghalibaf told parliament.Ghalibaf claimed that the US only agreed to the original Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) “out of desperation,” alleging that the US reneged on the commitments outlined in the MoU to compensate for what he alleged was “heavy political defeat.”MoU unraveled over Hormuz disputeThe MoU, clinched on June 17, quickly unraveled over a dispute about control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the war.US President Donald Trump said the deal was "over" on July 7, and a week later, Iran's foreign ministry declared it "suspended."Under the MoU, Iran and the US had committed to negotiating a final deal - covering broader issues such as the fate of Iran's nuclear program - in a maximum of 60 days, extendable by mutual consent.A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday that Iran would now shift to a "fully offensive" posture due to the stalled diplomatic efforts to secure a permanent end to the conflict.