Iran Sets Conditions for Reopening Strait of Hormuz as Mediation Efforts Intensify

Iran says it is preparing a list of conditions that must be met before it will agree to reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, as diplomatic efforts continue to revive talks between Tehran and Washington.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said mediators had asked Tehran to outline its demands for reopening the vital waterway.

He indicated that an end to the ongoing regional conflict would be among Iran’s key conditions.

His comments came as Qatar’s Prime Minister visited Tehran for discussions with Iranian officials, becoming the third country to engage in mediation efforts within a week.

Delegations from Pakistan and Oman had also travelled to Iran as part of attempts to create a pathway for renewed US-Iran negotiations.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said its discussions with Iranian officials included proposals for establishing a temporary shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as cooperation on clearing mines from the waterway.

Rezaei said Iran and Oman had reached an understanding over a possible corridor that would pass through both Iranian and Omani waters.

He added that ships could use a central route through the strait if the United States agreed to Tehran’s demands.

“The US must first take practical steps to fulfil Iran’s conditions, and then Iran will proceed to open the Strait of Hormuz,” Rezaei said in comments carried by Iran’s IRNA news agency.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps has also insisted that the strait would not be fully reopened unless Washington lifts its blockade of Iranian ports, provides compensation for damages caused by the war and removes sanctions imposed on Iran.

Dispute Over Whether the Strait Is Open
The Strait of Hormuz became effectively closed to shipping after the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran on February 28.

The waterway was briefly reopened under a June memorandum of understanding.

Under that arrangement, Iran was expected to clear mines and allow ships to pass through the strait without charge for 60 days, while the United States was to lift its blockade and ease sanctions.

However, Tehran later announced that it was closing the strait again, accusing Washington of violating the agreement.

The United States subsequently reinstated its blockade. Although the agreement was formally due to expire on August 17, both sides had effectively abandoned it several weeks earlier.

US President Donald Trump has meanwhile claimed that the waterway is already “open”. Speaking at the White House, Trump said US forces had cleared the strait of mines and claimed that millions of barrels of oil were passing through the area each day.

Despite the renewed diplomatic activity, Trump has indicated that Washington is not in a hurry to resume formal negotiations with Tehran.

He told Al Jazeera that he had “no time schedule” for restarting talks and was “not in a hurry”.

A US administration source also said the blockade remained in place and that no negotiations with Iran had been scheduled.

The latest developments suggest that Qatar, Oman and Pakistan are attempting to bridge the gap between the two sides, while Iran appears determined to secure concrete concessions from Washington before allowing unrestricted shipping through one of the world’s most important energy routes

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