The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will depend on the United States accepting Tehran’s terms and returning to the agreement previously signed between the two countries, Iranian Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohibi said.
Speaking at a press conference in Iran’s central Isfahan province, Mohibi said the strait could be opened in line with the understanding reached if the United States abandoned its obstructionist stance and returned to the agreement. The spokesman said the waterway would not be opened under any circumstances otherwise.
Claim of control over the strait
Mohibi asserted that the strait was under Iran’s control and said there were no enemy military vessels in the area. He said all hostile vessels were at least 400 kilometers from the strait and noted that no ship could pass through the waterway without Tehran’s explicit permission.
Agreement with Oman on a temporary route
Mohibi said Iran had begun negotiations with Oman about a month earlier and that the two sides had reached understandings they could both accept. He said agreements had been reached on how shares of the strait’s waters and transit revenues generated by the waterway would be divided.
The Iranian spokesman accused Washington of obstructing the negotiations and claimed that the US stance had delayed the conclusion of an agreement.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi also announced on Tuesday that Iran and Oman had agreed on a temporary 7-mile-wide transit route in the Strait of Hormuz. Gharibabadi said the arrangement did not mean the strait had reopened.
Negotiations to continue on a permanent route
Gharibabadi said new talks would be held to determine a permanent route and that reopening the strait depended on Washington fulfilling its commitments under the Islamabad agreement.
Iran and the United States signed a 14-point agreement in Islamabad in mid-June, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar. The text included provisions on ending the conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the United States lifting its naval blockade and launching a 60-day negotiation process.
Tehran argues that Washington has not implemented key provisions of the agreement. Iran says the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz depends on the United States fulfilling its commitments.
