Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States meets seven conditions contained in a June interim agreement between both countries.
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament and the
country’s top negotiator, outlined the conditions on Sunday.
Qalibaf said Iran had presented a proposal at the recently
concluded 81st United Nations General Assembly for the waterway to reopen and
normal maritime traffic to resume within seven days if the conditions were met.
He said the US responded to the proposal last week through
Qatari intermediaries.
“The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is completely
clear and firm, and the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until our seven
conditions, based on the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, are met,”
Iranian state media quoted Qalibaf as saying.
He added that Washington must understand that “the period of
dragging out the diplomatic process and dictating one-sided demands is over”.
IRAN RULES OUT TALKS ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPON
Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said
Tehran had communicated its broad position on the US response through
mediators, but that further points were still to be conveyed to Washington.
Baghaei said the US proposals largely reflected its previous
positions, particularly on Iran’s nuclear programme.
“The Americans’ propositions are more or less in line with
their previous positions, specifically on the nuclear issue,” he said.
“We told them our focus at this stage is the issue of the
Strait of Hormuz, and the return to security in this waterway requires clear
steps from the US.”
Baghaei also denied reports that Iran had offered to allow
inspections of its nuclear facilities by the UN nuclear watchdog in exchange
for sanctions relief.
He said Tehran had not entered into nuclear negotiations
with Washington.
An official briefed on the talks said the proposal under
discussion included a seven-day confidence-building period aimed at restoring
an enhanced version of the June memorandum of understanding (MoU).
The plan reportedly includes specific measures concerning
Iran’s nuclear programme.
The official said the disagreement between the two sides was
mainly over the sequence in which the measures would be implemented, rather
than the components of the proposal.
Qatar has been mediating between Washington and Tehran in an
effort to end the conflict and secure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
The waterway, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf
of Oman, carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies
before the war began in late February following US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
The June MoU had resulted in a brief ceasefire and included
provisions relating to the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s foreign affairs minister,
told foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Tehran on Sunday that his country
hoped Washington would choose diplomacy.
Araqchi warned that Iran was prepared to respond if the US
resumed military action.
“if they again move towards military solutions, we are more
prepared than before and will take whatever action is necessary to defend
ourselves,” he said.
On Thursday, sources told Reuters that Iran was preparing a
broader and stronger response if Washington resumed large-scale military
attacks.
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