Tehran [Iran], August 10 (ANI): Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened until the United States halts its naval blockade against Iran, according to local media reports.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing in Tehran, Baghaei attributed the closure of the strategic chokepoint to military aggression against Iran by the United States and Israel. He said reopening the critical corridor depends directly on conditions imposed on Iran and the waterway by the United States and Israel, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.
Reaffirming Tehran’s position, Baghaei said, “As long as the US naval blockade continues, the necessary conditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz do not exist.” He urged Washington to halt and reverse what he described as its “destructive actions” to enable the two sides to negotiate subsequent steps.
Connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, the Strait of Hormuz serves as a vital energy artery, facilitating the movement of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Gulf exporters to global markets.
Addressing ongoing discussions with Oman regarding maritime transit, Baghaei clarified that the dialogue remains a strictly bilateral matter between the two neighboring countries.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi confirmed Sunday that no active negotiations are taking place with Washington.
Addressing reporters at the Foreign Ministry’s Centre for Political and International Studies, Araghchi said, “We currently have no negotiations with the United States. Intermediaries are still making efforts to find ways to resume negotiations. From our perspective, there can be no resumption of talks until the United States ends its violations of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and makes amends for the breaches it has committed,” Tasnim News Agency reported.
He reiterated that dialogue cannot resume unless Washington halts its alleged breaches of the MoU and remedies the violations.
Araghchi also said technical talks with Oman on finalizing a revised maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz are in their concluding stage.
However, the foreign minister cautioned that reaching a maritime agreement with Muscat would not amount to reopening the waterway to traffic.
Clarifying the situation, Araghchi said, “Of course, this does not mean the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. This agreement may be reached, but the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is subject to a series of conditions.”
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