Iran Outlines New Demands for Reopening the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has set forth new conditions that the United States must fulfill for the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the council's secretary, stated that the strait will remain closed until the US "corrects its behavior," according to a report from Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB. The six conditions include halting US threats against Iran and its allies, ending attacks in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq, lifting the US naval blockade, withdrawing US naval and air forces from the region, compensating for damages from previous conflicts, and releasing frozen Iranian assets without conditions.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) emphasized that the reopening of Hormuz is contingent upon the US accepting these demands, which are separate from ongoing negotiations between Iran and Oman. IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi indicated that the strait would be reopened once the US agrees to Iran's conditions.
These new demands expand upon previous proposals, linking the reopening of the waterway to a broader set of political, military, and economic issues. Notably, they explicitly include calls for an end to attacks against Iran and its allies in multiple countries, alongside demands for respect towards Iran’s national and religious values.
While some of these issues were mentioned in earlier discussions, the June memorandum treated them as part of a phased process. Zolghadr's recent statements now frame them as prerequisites for reopening the strait, diverging from the US position that the blockade would be lifted once commercial shipping through Hormuz resumes without impediments.
In a related context, President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed support for reaching an agreement, stating that the current circumstances present an opportunity for resolution. He highlighted the need for a mechanism to address alleged violations of previous agreements to avoid military confrontations, indicating that negotiations in Oman are ongoing to find a viable solution to the current state of tension.
