Iran War: Iran Makes New Demands to the US Regarding the Strait of Hormuz

Iran is making new demands to the US for re-opening the Strait of Hormuz. The United States must never threaten the Islamic Republic again, according to a statement by the National Security Council published by Iranian state media. They must also definitively end the war against Iran and its allies in the region. The National Security Council is the country's highest decision-making body, led by President Massoud Pezeshkian and supervised by the Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

The council listed further conditions, including that the US must lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports and withdraw its forces from the area, as quoted by the pro-government broadcaster Press TV from the statement. They must also fully compensate Iran for war damages, lift sanctions and release frozen assets "unconditionally". The council stated that it would not deviate from these demands. The US must actually change their behaviour. This time it is only about the Strait of Hormuz.

There was initially no direct reaction from the US government. Iran had previously mentioned these demands as a condition for a permanent agreement with the US, which also concerned Iran's nuclear program. Now they are being made a condition for an agreement that is solely aimed at re-opening the Strait of Hormuz.

Recently, both Iran and the US had spoken of an imminent agreement for the resumption of free shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is negotiating directly with Oman, the other neighbouring state on the opposite side of the Persian Gulf, on how shipping passages in the blocked strait are to be regulated, according to Iranian information. Both states had stated that an agreement was close.