Iran has ruled out reopening the Strait of Hormuz or returning to its earlier framework of negotiations with the United States until Washington meets Tehran’s conditions, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate.
According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Ghalibaf said Tehran had conveyed its demands to Washington through intermediaries and would not shift its position until those conditions were met, including recognition of Iran’s “legitimate rights” and the implementation of American commitments.
His remarks came a day after Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran had communicated its conditions for ending the conflict to Washington through Qatar. Rezaei told Al Jazeera that Iran’s demands included an end to the war on all fronts, the release of Iran’s frozen funds, and an end to the naval blockade.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a central point of contention. Iran’s Armed Forces spokesman, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, said the initiative in the strategic waterway remained with Iran’s armed forces, and dismissed US statements on maritime traffic through the strait as a psychological operation.
Iran has also issued fresh warnings over potential US military action. The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said any renewed US attack would trigger continuous and unrestricted retaliatory strikes against American bases and interests across the region, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. The command also warned that regional countries assisting any US military operation against Iran would be treated as participants in the action.
Meanwhile, US Central Command said its forces had redirected 109 commercial vessels as of September 20 as part of efforts to enforce Washington’s naval blockade against Iran, which resumed on July 14.
President Donald Trump has warned Iran of consequences if it does not change its position, while also signalling openness to talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the UN General Assembly in New York. The developments come as world leaders gather in New York, with the US-Iran standoff expected to remain a major point of discussion.
(Source: The Times of India)
