The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed as long as the US does not change its behaviour and accept Iran’s conditions to end the war, the newly appointed secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said on Tuesday.
His comments are the strongest indication so far that any deal in talks with Oman over the waterway would not immediately reopen it to shipping if the US does not also abide by its commitments in a memorandum of understanding towards ending the conflict reached between Washington and Tehran in June.
“As long as America does not change its behaviour and does not accept Iran’s conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened,” Mohsen Rezaei, a close ally of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was quoted by semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying.
“America must end the war, pay Iran’s frozen assets, the war must end throughout the region, including in Lebanon and Gaza,” he said.
“If an agreement is reached between Iran and Oman regarding the transit route through the Strait of Hormuz, this agreement will be a matter separate from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.”
Rezaei, appointed on Sunday as second-in-command of the body that coordinates Iran’s security and foreign policy, said the conditions had been transmitted to the US through mediators.
Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Khamenei, also said on X on Tuesday that “the punishment of the aggressor continues, and the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until Iran’s conditions are met”.
Oil futures extended their gains due to concerns over the fate of the strait.
There was no immediate comment from Washington on Iran’s latest comments, but President Donald Trump had already raised a new US demand himself – that Iran pay compensation for people killed in wars, attacks and protests – and also accused Tehran of being “devious negotiators”.
“We’re going to ask for money for the damage they’ve done over a 50-year period,” Trump said at the White House on Monday.
