An Iranian official vowed Tuesday not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the US gives in to all of its demands, while key mediators Qatar and Pakistan indicated that “some sort of a deal” was nevertheless close to being reached. Mohsen Rezaei, the head of Iran’s National Security Council, said Tuesday that the US must end the war — including in Gaza and Lebanon — release frozen Iranian assets, and meet the rest of Iran’s conditions, according to the semi-official Tasnim outlet. A potential agreement on the strait between Iran and Oman will not guarantee the opening of the strait, he added.
And Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on his Telegram channel Tuesday that he reiterated similar demands in a phone call with his German counterpart a day earlier. Araghchi wrote that in a call with Germany’s Johann Wadephul late Monday, he had “emphasized that making the Strait of Hormuz secure requires an end to the United States’s aggressive actions and unlawful interventions, including the naval blockade and other violations of US obligations.”
Wadephul said on X that he had emphasized “the Strait of Hormuz needs to be opened unconditionally ensuring free and safe navigation for all.” Meanwhile, Araghchi asserted to reporters that Iran has “astonished the whole world” in the war against the United States and Israel, proving “that it is a tough and invincible power.” But Doha and Islamabad — key mediators between Washington and Tehran — appeared to express optimism on Tuesday that a deal could be close to finalized. (Read More)
Wadephul said on X that he had emphasized “the Strait of Hormuz needs to be opened unconditionally ensuring free and safe navigation for all.” Meanwhile, Araghchi asserted to reporters that Iran has “astonished the whole world” in the war against the United States and Israel, proving “that it is a tough and invincible power.” But Doha and Islamabad — key mediators between Washington and Tehran — appeared to express optimism on Tuesday that a deal could be close to finalized. (Read More)
