Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until the United States meets seven conditions laid out in a June interim agreement, parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said, according to state media.
Tehran floated a proposal at the UN General Assembly under which the strategic waterway could be reopened and normal maritime traffic restored within seven days — but only if those conditions were satisfied. The US delivered its response last week through Qatari intermediaries, the report said.
“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,” Mr Qalibaf, described as Iran’s top negotiator, was quoted as saying.
He said Washington “must understand that the period of dragging out the (diplomatic) process and dictating one-sided demands is over”.
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday that Iran had conveyed its broad stance to the US response via mediators, while indicating that further points still needed to be passed on to Washington.
“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,” spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.
Mr Baghaei also rejected claims that Iran had proposed allowing inspections of its nuclear facilities by the UN nuclear watchdog in return for sanctions relief, saying Tehran had not entered nuclear discussions with Washington.
A document now in circulation describes a seven-day trust-building window intended to move both sides back toward an enhanced version of the memorandum of understanding agreed in June, including concrete measures related to Iran’s nuclear programme, an official briefed on the talks said last week.
The dispute, the official added, is focused on the order in which steps would be taken rather than on what the plan contains.
Qatar has been relaying messages between Washington and Tehran in a bid to end the conflict and restore passage through the Strait of Hormuz — a channel that carried about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas before the war that began at the end of February with US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
The June memorandum of understanding produced a short-lived ceasefire and included provisions covering the strait as well as Iran’s nuclear programme.
In separate remarks, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Tehran that Iran wanted the US to opt for diplomacy, but cautioned that Tehran was ready to respond if Washington again chose military action.
On Thursday, sources told Reuters that Iran was preparing a broader and more forceful response if the US resumed large-scale military attacks.
“If they again move towards military solutions, we are more prepared than before and will take whatever action is necessary to defend ourselves,” Mr Araqchi said.
Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia told Fars news agency that Iran would upgrade the range of its missiles.
