Iran sets key conditions for reopening Strait of Hormuz

In the months-long conflict between the US and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a key flashpoint with no sight of breaking the impasse over the strategically important waterway.

On Monday, Tehran announced that it reached an understanding over the Strait of Hormuz transit route with Oman in a push to reopen the shipping lane.

“This is the first time that a mechanism is being developed to simultaneously safeguard the sovereign rights of two littoral states and ensure the safe passage of all commercial shippings,” Iranian Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said.

On Tuesday, Tehran made a new key demand prerequisite for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. As reported by Iran’s state news agency IRNA, Iran demanded the US to honour its June deal and after fulfilling its commitments, Iran will reopen Hormuz.

Speaking during a parliamentary session, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Tehran would use both diplomatic and military means to make Washington "understand the consequences of its actions.”

"Let me be clear: until the US fulfils its commitments under the memorandum of understanding - including lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets, lifting oil sanctions, ending threats and military operations on all fronts, and implementing the other conditions it committed to under the memorandum - the Strait will not reopen,” he added.

The memorandum of understanding, finalized on June 17, quickly collapsed due to a dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passed prior to the war.

The MoU also expired on Monday as both Iran and the United States failed to reach an agreement that could bring peace in the Middle East. After the expiration of the interim peace deal, the Iranian senior officials reported that Iran may adopt a fully offensive posture due to the stalled diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

Trump also threatened to bomb Oman if the Gulf country tries to obstruct the talks over the Strait of Hormuz and hinder the peace talks with Iran.

Since previous weeks, Omani and Iranian officials have been engaging in talks to reach a settlement over Strait of Hormuz, but no final framework has been confirmed yet.