Ships near the Strait of Hormuz, seen from Musandam, Oman, on Thursday. [Reuters]
Ships near the Strait of Hormuz, seen from Musandam, Oman, on Thursday. [Reuters]

Iran has demanded the United States withdraw its forces, lift sanctions and pay reparations for war damages as conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, raising pressure on Washington amid growing expectations that the waterway could soon be unblocked.

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary-general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, issued a statement through Iranian state media Saturday outlining six conditions for reopening the strait, according to The New York Times and CNN.

Iran's demands include an end to the maritime blockade and sanctions against Iran, and the withdrawal of US naval and air forces from the surrounding region.

The statement also called for the United States to pay reparations for damages caused by what it described as a "war of aggression," lift all sanctions on Iran and release frozen Iranian assets without conditions.

The demands further include a halt to attacks on Iran's regional allies and an end to all threats against Iran.

"The Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened until the United States corrects its behavior," Zolghadr said.

The demands go further than the ceasefire MOU that Iran and the United States had previously agreed to.

That MOU included a provision for the US to lift sanctions on Iran in line with a final nuclear deal timeline, but Iran is now insisting that sanctions be lifted as a precondition for reopening the strait — before any final agreement is reached.

The statement is also notable for coming while Iran and Oman are negotiating the normalization of passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has claimed the talks with Oman have made significant progress, while maintaining that whether the strait ultimately reopens depends on Washington's stance.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps echoed the position. Sardar Mohebi, a spokesperson for the IRGC, said the strait could only be reopened if the US fully accepted Iran's conditions and refrained from interfering in regional negotiations, according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency. Iran has said the talks with Oman are close to an agreement, but insists the actual reopening hinges on the United States.

"The condition for opening the Strait of Hormuz is that the United States fully accept Iran's terms and stop interfering in regional negotiations," Mohebi said, according to Tasnim.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said at a news conference that reopening the strait required other conditions to be met, "including compensation for the United States' violation of the Islamabad MOU."

Meanwhile, shipping data firm Kpler said an average of about 10 vessels per day passed through the Strait of Hormuz last week — less than one-tenth of pre-war traffic levels.


hanira@heraldcorp.com