DUBAI: Iran has laid out conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, saying any agreement with the United States must include an end to wars and military operations across the Middle East, a top Iranian security official said.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Lebanese broadcaster Al Manar TV that a potential understanding with Washington on the strategic waterway would require ending the conflicts in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria.
Rezaei said Israel must withdraw from Lebanon, halt attacks on Syria and end its military offensive in the Gaza Strip. He added that the U.S. must “prove its seriousness” in implementing any commitments before new trust could be established.
“The Strait of Hormuz cannot be separated from the broader regional conflict,” Rezaei said.
But a return to diplomacy appeared unlikely in the near term. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the Trump administration has no interest in returning to the terms of a memorandum of understanding reached with Iran in June.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal said President Donald Trump was no longer interested in that deal’s framework and instead was waiting to see whether his administration’s strategy of economically pressuring Iran would succeed.
The U.S. on Monday announced what it called an “economic D-Day” campaign against Tehran, threatening sanctions against countries that do business with the Islamic Republic and shifting focus from military action to economic pressure.
Rezaei said Iran is now allowing a “temporary and limited” corridor for ships to pass through the strait, adding that the future of maritime traffic would depend on developments in understandings with Washington.
Earlier this week, Oman and Iran discussed a proposal to establish a temporary joint shipping route through the strait and a mission to clear mines from the key oil export corridor.
However, a video posted Thursday on X by Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, credited U.S. forces with clearing mines from the strait.
Cooper said Centcom forces had helped facilitate the transit of about 1,500 commercial vessels and 750 million barrels of crude oil over the past several months.
“Today, international shipping lanes are open, and momentum is building,” Cooper said.
Still, the latest available data from Kpler showed only five ships crossed the strait on Tuesday, a sharp drop from the approximately 130 vessels that typically transited the waterway before the war broke out in February.
