Iran won't reopen Hormuz until US meets all conditions, Revolutionary Guards

Iran's Revolutionary Guards declared on Sunday that the vital Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States fulfills Tehran's demands, which include compensation for war damages. Iran has effectively blockaded the strait since late February, asserting its right to charge tolls for passage and targeting ships it claims are attempting to bypass its designated route.

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the strait is now actually a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway.

Recent attacks in the waterway, which was previously open for transit, led to the collapse of an April ceasefire. Mediators are urging both sides to adhere to a June memorandum outlining a path for peace talks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicated that discussions with Oman regarding transit and management of the strait are nearing completion, but stressed that reopening Hormuz is contingent on "other conditions and compensation for the violation" of the June agreement. He clarified that Iran is not negotiating directly with the U.S. but is exchanging messages through intermediaries.

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is subject to other conditions and compensation for the violation

On Saturday, Iran's security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr detailed a list of demands for reopening the strait. These include an end to the "war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq," the lifting of a U.S. counterblockade on Iranian ports, the termination of sanctions, the release of frozen assets, and compensation for wartime damages. The Revolutionary Guards reiterated on Sunday that their strategy is to maintain the closure "until the enemy accepts all our conditions... the strait is now actually a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway."

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war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq

The announcement follows a series of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. The United Arab Emirates' foreign ministry condemned what it called a "hostile Iranian attack" on an ADNOC tanker, though no casualties were reported. Separately, the UK Maritime Trade Operations reported a ship hit by a projectile off Oman, causing a fire that was extinguished without casualties. Oman's foreign ministry condemned the "repeated attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz" and noted that negotiations over navigation arrangements are proceeding constructively.

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hostile Iranian attack that targeted a tanker belonging to ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) with a missile while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, without causing casualties