Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz only if the United States withdraws its troops, ends its blockade of Iranian ports and compensates Iran for damage caused by US actions, according to Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, head of Iran’s National Security Council.
Zolghadr’s remarks were reported by international media on Saturday and set out Tehran’s conditions for fully restoring access to one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran and Oman were “very close” to an agreement on the future management of the Strait of Hormuz.
Those talks are part of the framework deal Tehran and Washington agreed in June. A toll system may also be introduced, although details remain unclear.
Iranian officials have made clear, however, that any broader agreement on managing the strait does not mean it will be fully reopened immediately.
According to CNN, Zolghadr said the US must stop blockading Iranian ports, withdraw the forces involved and pay compensation for damage inflicted inside Iran.
He also said threats and military operations against Iran must end. Al Jazeera quoted him as saying the pressure on Iran had to stop, while CNN said Tehran was demanding a complete end to the war.
Iran also wants Washington to release Iranian assets that have been frozen abroad.
“These are the demands of the Iranian people. Until the US changes its behaviour, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened,” Zolghadr said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the negotiations with Oman were unrelated to any possible reopening of the waterway.
The Iranian military has continued to target ships that try to avoid the route imposed by Tehran in the Strait of Hormuz. On Saturday, it reportedly attacked an oil tanker from the United Arab Emirates.
The US military has not carried out new air strikes on Iran since late July.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump cancelled a planned attack at the last moment and later claimed talks with Iran would resume. Tehran quickly denied that account.
It remains unclear what stage, if any, those contacts have now reached.
In recent days, international media have also reported possible serious ammunition shortages in the US military.
CNN said General Dan Cain, the top US military officer, had suggested looking for a way out of the conflict.
According to sources cited by the broadcaster, Cain believes President Trump’s objectives can no longer be achieved through military operations.
Trump, however, has repeatedly said Tehran’s military capabilities have been completely destroyed.
