Iran’s Ghalibaf Says Strait of Hormuz Will Never Return to Prewar Status
Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, says Tehran is waiting for an official US response to its seven conditions for ending the eight-month war. Speaking to Al Jazeera, he said Iran had delivered its position through a Qatari mediator and that “the ball” was now in Washington’s court.
Ghalibaf said Iran and Oman had reached an understanding on overseeing the Strait of Hormuz, and warned that the strategic waterway would “never return” to its prewar status. He disputed the application of international-water rules there, arguing that the strait is governed by the laws of Iran and Oman, the two countries bordering it.
Tehran’s conditions include lifting the US naval blockade and sanctions, releasing frozen Iranian funds, ending fighting on all fronts and explicitly declaring the war over. Ghalibaf said these demands were part of a June memorandum of understanding signed in Islamabad and had to be implemented before formal negotiations could begin. He said an agreement remained possible if the US avoided additional demands and actions that deepen mistrust, but stressed that Iran does not trust Washington.
Ghalibaf also said US officials had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to mediate direct talks during a visit to Moscow. He warned that another US attack would bring defeat and political pressure on Donald Trump from the new Congress taking office in January. On Yemen, he said outside actors should not interfere in the conflict between the Saudi-backed government forces and the Houthis, though Iran would help resolve it if both Yemen’s government and Saudi Arabia requested assistance.
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