UNIPA NEWS | Tehran -Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed to traffic until the United States meets six conditions, including ending military operations in the region, withdrawing its forces from around Iran, lifting sanctions and providing compensation for damages Tehran says were caused by two wars.
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Saturday that the strait would not be fully reopened until Washington changed its policies towards Iran.
“Until America corrects its behaviour, the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened,” Iranian news agencies quoted Zolghadr as saying.
Zolghadr’s six demands include a permanent end to what Iran describes as US aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq. He also called for an end to threats and insults against Iran and its religious and national symbols.
The Iranian security official further demanded that the United States lift what Tehran considers an illegal naval blockade and withdraw its naval and air forces from areas surrounding Iran.
Another condition calls for Washington to pay full compensation for damages that Iran attributes to what it described as “two wars of aggression and imposition”. Tehran also wants the United States to lift its sanctions against Iran.
The sixth demand is the unconditional release of Iranian assets that remain frozen overseas. Zolghadr described those assets as blocked and stolen property belonging to the Iranian people.
The demands come as Iran continues to use control over the Strait of Hormuz as a major source of leverage in its conflict with the United States. The strategically important waterway is a key route for global energy shipments, and disruption to maritime traffic through the strait has contributed to heightened concerns over oil supplies and prices.
Hossein Mohebbi, a brigadier general and spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said the strait had evolved from a commercial waterway into what he called a “tool of power and war”.
Iranian officials have repeatedly linked any reopening of the waterway to an agreement with the United States. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has also said that reopening the strait would depend on conditions including compensation for Iran.
The dispute has placed the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of efforts to end the conflict, with Washington and Tehran facing significant disagreements over military operations, sanctions, frozen Iranian assets and control of maritime traffic.
