- FM Araghchi says that Iran’s proposal could enable the strait to reopen within seven days if accepted by the US
- Araghchi specified that Iran’s conditions for reopening the strait are tied to commitments from the United States
DUBAI: The Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until seven Iranian conditions set out in a June interim agreement with the US are met, Reuters reported on Sunday citing Iran’s Nournews, a few days after Tehran received Washington’s reply to its diplomatic proposal.
The interim deal, also known as the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, was signed by the US and Iran in June following mediation by Pakistan after months of conflict.
It included a 60-day ceasefire, the reopening of the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, a timetable for a final deal on the war and Iran’s nuclear program, immediately allowing Tehran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington.
“The Americans, who say something different in the media, have recently put forward proposals through a mediator. But they must understand that the period of dragging out the process and dictating one-sided demands is over,” Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was quoted as saying.
“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.”
Tehran has maintained its stranglehold on the strategic Strait of Hormuz since the US launched its war on Iran in late Feb., while Washington continues a counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Washington is also seeking to choke Iran’s economy, rolling out sanctions on entities with financial links to the Islamic republic in a bid to force it into submission.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said separately on Sunday that a plan put forward by Tehran to resolve its dispute with Washington could lead to the Strait of Hormuz reopening within seven days if accepted.
Speaking to foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Tehran, Araghchi said Iran had clearly explained its conditions for reopening the strait and that they were linked to commitments the United States would have to accept.
He added that Tehran hoped Washington would choose diplomacy but warned that Iran was prepared to respond if the United States again chose military action.
“If they again move toward military solutions, we are more prepared than before and will take whatever action is necessary to defend ourselves,” Araghchi said.
