3 weeks ago
Iran: Hormuz won't reopen until US ends naval blockade
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow strip of water where big ships carry oil and gas to countries all around the world.
It sits beside Iran and connects two seas.
Right now, Iran says American navy ships are blocking this waterway, so ships cannot pass.
Iran's government says it will not let ships through again until the United States stops its naval blockade.
Iran also says the United States and Israel have hurt Iran, and that is why the waterway is shut.
Iran's foreign minister says Iran and the United States are not talking right now.
He says the United States broke an agreement, and talks can only start again if the United States fixes that.
Iran and its neighbour Oman are talking about a new route for ships in the area.
Even if Iran and Oman agree on that route, Iran says it will not open the strait.
More conditions must be met before the waterway can open again.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened until the United States halts its naval blockade against Iran.
Baghaei blamed the closure on US and Israeli military aggression and urged Washington to halt its 'destructive actions'.
Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi confirmed that no active negotiations are taking place with the United States.
Araghchi said talks cannot resume until Washington ends its violations of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and makes amends.
Technical talks with Oman over a revised maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz are in their concluding stage, but Araghchi cautioned the agreement would not mean opening the waterway.
- Who
- Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, and Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi issued the statements; Iran blames the United States and Israel for the closure.
- What
- Iran said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US naval blockade ends, and confirmed there are no active negotiations with Washington.
- Where
- Tehran, Iran, at the Foreign Ministry's Centre for Political and International Studies; the strait connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
- When
- Monday, when Baghaei spoke at a weekly press briefing in Tehran; Araghchi made his remarks on the preceding Sunday.
- Why
- Iran attributes the closure to US and Israeli military aggression and says talks cannot resume while the US continues its naval blockade and breaches of a Memorandum of Understanding.
Key facts
- Strait of Hormuz
- Strategic choke point connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea
- Key cargo
- Crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Gulf exporters
- Current status
- Closed; Iran says reopening requires an end to the US naval blockade
- Iran-US negotiations
- None active; resumption requires the US to end MoU violations and make amends
- Oman talks
- Technical talks on a revised maritime passage in concluding stage
- Oman deal caveat
- A maritime agreement with Oman would not equal opening the strait
- Key officials
- Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei; Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi
Quotes
Seyed Abbas Araghchi
Iranian Foreign Minister
“We currently have no negotiations with the United States. Intermediaries are still making efforts to find ways to resume negotiations.”
thehansindia.com
“As long as the US naval blockade continues, the necessary conditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz do not exist.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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