Iran says it won’t reopen Strait of Hormuz until the US meets its demands

Iran has stated that it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the United States meets its demands, according to a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry. The talks come as Iran seeks the U.S. to lift the blockade on Iranian ports, provide compensation for war damage, lift economic sanctions, and release frozen Iranian assets.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about one-fifth of the world's traded oil supplies, has been a major consequence of the ongoing war between Iran and the U.S.-backed coalition. Iran is also engaged in separate negotiations with Oman regarding the possible reopening of the strait through a temporary shipping corridor.

In other news, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked a Red Sea port town, killing seven and injuring 30 people. Additionally, Israel's military has declared the Christian-majority town of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank a closed military zone to prevent settler attacks.