US expected to escalate against Iran, Houthis to keep Hormuz and Bab Al-Mandab open, analyst says

Iran's top negotiator has informed the United States that the country will only reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz once the war ends, frozen funds are released, and the naval blockade is lifted. The two nations have been in a standstill for months since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Iran has controlled the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route for global oil and gas, while the US has been attempting to choke the Islamic republic's ports and economy.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf detailed the conditions to the other side through mediators. However, if the US fails to meet these conditions and fulfill its commitments, it would be impossible to return to the pre-negotiation state and open the strait, according to Ghalibaf. Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's supreme national security council, also revealed Iran's conditions to the US through Qatar's mediation, stating that the release of frozen funds and an end to the naval blockade are necessary.

Iran has appointed Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to travel to Teheran on Sunday for discussions. Additionally, Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya central military command has issued a warning to the United States, threatening continuous, effective, and painful attacks on all of America's bases and interests in the region if the US mismanages its dealings with Islamic Iran.