Iran: Hormuz a War Zone, Not Waterway; No New Talks With 'Enemy'

Iran announced Sunday that it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz to its previous level of navigation unless the United States meets Tehran's conditions. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that the strait has become a "war zone" for Iran, not just a waterway. This stance reflects Iran's determination to link any changes in navigation status to the ongoing political and military standoff with the U.S.

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Our strategy is to continue controlling the strait until the enemy accepts all our conditions. The strait has become a war zone for us, not just a waterway.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that Tehran and Washington are not currently engaged in any negotiations. He asserted that Iran will not enter new talks as long as the U.S. violates the interim agreement reached in June. Araghchi noted that while messages are still being exchanged through intermediaries, there are no indications of an imminent resumption of direct negotiations. He emphasized that the agreement being discussed with Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz has reached its "final stages." However, he stressed that its finalization does not equate to the waterway's immediate reopening.

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Tehran and Washington are not currently engaged in any negotiations. Iran will not enter new talks as long as the United States, according to the Iranian position, violates the interim agreement.

The anticipated understanding, Araghchi explained, will outline new navigation routes that can be adopted after other Iranian conditions are met. Foremost among these is what Tehran considers a resolution to U.S. violations of the interim agreement. Previously, Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr had outlined several conditions for reopening the strait. These included ending what Iran describes as war and aggression against it and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq. Additional demands comprised lifting the naval blockade, withdrawing U.S. naval and air forces from Iran's vicinity, lifting sanctions, unfreezing Iranian assets, and paying compensation for damages Iran claims to have suffered due to the war.

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The agreement being discussed with Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz has reached its final stages.

Zolghadr insisted that the Supreme National Security Council would make no concessions in either military confrontation or negotiations. The Revolutionary Guard reiterated that opening the Strait of Hormuz operates under a mechanism independent of the ongoing talks between Iran and Oman. According to Tehran's position, any return to the previous navigation status hinges on the U.S. responding to Iranian conditions. Since the war's outbreak, Iran has maintained effective control over passage through the strait, requiring ships to coordinate with Tehran and use a route along its coast. It has also announced its intention to impose financial fees for certain transit services, affirming that the strait's navigation system will not revert to its pre-confrontation state.

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The Supreme National Security Council will not make concessions, neither in military confrontation nor during negotiations.