Iran sets new preconditions for Strait of Hormuz reopening as US cites prior agreement
Tehran’s latest list of conditions for shipping access marks a diplomatic shift from the phased approach outlined in Islamabad, though US observers note the core issues were previously addressed.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has issued a fresh list of demands as preconditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, stating the waterway will remain closed until Washington “corrects its behaviour”. The council, led by secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, characterised the requirements as new preconditions, signalling a departure from the diplomatic framework established earlier in the year.
The demands include an end to what Tehran describes as US threats and insults to Iran’s national and religious values, alongside a permanent halt to attacks against Iran and its allies. The council also called for compensation for damage resulting from two “imposed wars”, the lifting of sanctions, and the unconditional release of frozen Iranian assets.
Reporting from Washington, France 24 correspondent Fraser Jackson noted that many of these specific demands were already agreed to by the United States in the Memorandum of Understanding signed in Islamabad in June. However, Jackson observed that the language within that original agreement was described as “quite broad”, leaving room for divergent interpretations of what constitutes compliance.
The latest statement marks a distinct shift from the June memorandum, which treated similar issues as part of a reciprocal and phased process. By framing the current list as new preconditions, the Supreme National Security Council has moved away from the incremental approach previously agreed upon, linking immediate shipping access to a broader set of political and financial concessions.
The strait’s status remains uncertain as negotiations stall. While the United States maintains that the terms were settled in the June agreement, Iran’s insistence on specific, unconditional actions suggests a continued impasse. The council’s declaration that the strait will stay closed until US behaviour changes indicates that diplomatic efforts to restore normal shipping flows have not yet succeeded.
