Iran Draws Red Line on Strait of Hormuz, Says US Blockade Must End Before Reopening

Tehran: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened until the United States halts its naval blockade against Iran, according to local media reports. 

Speaking at a weekly press briefing in Tehran, Baghaei attributed the closure of the strategic choke point to military aggression against Iran by the US and Israel. He underlined that reopening the critical corridor depends directly on the conditions imposed on Iran and the waterway by American and Israeli authorities, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported. 

Reaffirming Tehran’s stance, Baghaei remarked, “As long as the US naval blockade continues, the necessary conditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz do not exist.” He urged Washington to halt and reverse its “destructive actions” to enable both parties to negotiate subsequent steps. 

Connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, the Strait of Hormuz serves as a vital energy artery, facilitating the movement of crude oil and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Gulf exporters to global markets. 

Addressing ongoing discussions with Oman regarding maritime transit, Baghaei clarified that the dialogue remains a strictly bilateral matter between the two neighbouring nations. 

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi confirmed on Sunday that no active negotiations are taking place with Washington. 

Addressing media personnel at the Foreign Ministry’s Centre for Political and International Studies, Araghchi observed, “We currently have no negotiations with the United States. Intermediaries are still making efforts to find ways to resume negotiations. From our perspective, there can be no resumption of talks until the United States ends its violations of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and makes amends for the breaches it has committed,” Tasnim News Agency reported. 

He reiterated that dialogue cannot resume unless Washington halts its breaches of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and remedies the infractions. He further revealed that technical talks with Oman over finalising a revised maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz are in their concluding stage. 

However, the Foreign Minister cautioned that concluding a maritime agreement with Muscat does not equate to opening the waterway to traffic. 

Clarifying the situation, Araghchi noted, “Of course, this does not mean the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. This agreement may be reached, but the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is subject to a series of conditions.”