ISLAMABAD: Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States fulfills commitments under the Pakistan-brokered Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, its parliament speaker said on Tuesday, as a 60-day window for Tehran and Washington to negotiate a broader peace agreement expired without a deal.
The June 17 memorandum, brokered with Pakistan’s involvement after weeks of fighting, sought to end hostilities and laid out reciprocal measures including an end to the US blockade, sanctions relief and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while giving Tehran and Washington 60 days to negotiate a final agreement.
The arrangement has since largely unraveled as the two sides accuse each other of violating its terms.
“The Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened until the blockade is lifted, frozen assets are released, oil sanctions are removed, military threats and operations on all fronts are ended, and the other terms of the MoU are fully met,” Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher
Ghalibaf said, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
His remarks came as tensions remained high around the strategic waterway, through which roughly a fifth of globally traded oil passed before the war.
A ship was struck by an unidentified projectile while sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, damaging its engine room and causing a crew casualty, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Iran effectively closed the strait after the United States and Israel attacked the country on Feb. 28, while Washington has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian shipping.
The Islamabad MoU sought to provide a pathway out of the conflict, but its 60-day negotiating period expired this week with Tehran and Washington still divided over implementation of the agreement and control of the strategic waterway.
US President Donald Trump has ruled out extending the negotiating period, while Iranian officials accuse Washington of failing to meet commitments Tehran says were required under the memorandum.
Pakistan has continued diplomatic efforts to bring Washington and Tehran back to negotiations, with Islamabad saying last week it was using direct and indirect channels to try to preserve diplomacy and prevent a renewed escalation.
Iran and Oman are separately discussing arrangements for managing shipping through Hormuz, with Tehran saying this week the two sides were finalizing details of a joint statement.
With input from AP.
