Iran says Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until US continues naval blockade

Tehran: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the US continues its naval blockade against Iran, local media reported.

Addressing a weekly press briefing in Tehran, Baqaei said that the Strait of Hormuz was closed due to the US and Israeli military aggression against Iran. He emphasised that the reopening of the waterway relies on the conditions enforced on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz by the US and Israeli authorities, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.

“As long as the US naval blockade continues, the necessary conditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz do not exist,” said Baqaei. He stressed that the US needs to stop and make changes in its “destructive actions” so that the two sides could discuss the next steps.

The Strait of Hormuz links Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is one of the world’s most important energy corridors, carrying oil and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports from major Gulf producers to international markets.

Baqaei mentioned that the talks between Iran and Oman over a shipping route is a bilateral matter which involves two nations.

On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Aragchi stated that there are currently no ongoing negotiations with the United States.

Speaking to reporters at the Centre for Political and International Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he 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 stated that there is no possibility of resuming negotiations until the US ends the violations of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or it makes amends for what it has violated. He also said that they are in the final stage of negotiations with Oman about determining a new sea route in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian Foreign Minister stressed that reaching a pact with Oman on a new maritime route does not imply that the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened.

“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,” he said.

IANS