Iran still reviewing US reply on Strait of Hormuz, says foreign ministry

Talks stall while Tehran reviews the US reply

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, 12 October, that Tehran is still reviewing the US response to its proposal on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Once the review is finished, Iran will send its position to Washington through intermediaries. Baghaei said messages continue to be exchanged through mediators, without giving further details. Pakistan and Qatar remain the main mediators, he said, and Tehran welcomed the actions of friendly countries. Iran presented its proposal in mid-September and later confirmed receipt of a US response. Since then the process has stalled, even as mediators keep working toward an end to the war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February.

The nuclear question and Tehran's seven conditions

On Sunday, 11 October, Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei said Washington's response did not sufficiently address Tehran's seven conditions for reopening the strait and returning to negotiations. The central dispute concerns sequence. Washington insists that Iran's nuclear programme be addressed from the outset, while Tehran says talks should first focus on reopening the strait and restoring security in the waterway. Before the war, the strait carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade, according to Reuters. Baghaei also called for new US sanctions to be lifted and for Washington to end all of its interventionist and aggressive actions. The June interim ceasefire crumbled, and on-off strikes have since resumed.

An oil shuttle under threat

Al Jazeera reported that the US Navy has opened a route so Gulf states can export oil and other commodities through an Arab-operated shuttle that transfers cargo from smaller vessels to larger tankers. Rezaei claimed that US Central Command, with help from the UAE military, oversees these operations. Europa Press reported him saying Iran had attacked about five such vessels each night over the past two or three months, while Al Jazeera reported him saying five or six participating vessels had been struck nightly for weeks. Press TV carried his claim that UAE personnel were deployed to support the operations. Rezaei addressed the shuttle directly and said:

You are smuggling, but the strait is under Iran's control, and we manage it.

He also threatened US-linked cables, data centres and artificial intelligence facilities in the UAE and around the strait, promising a harsh response if Iran's energy and civilian infrastructure were attacked again.

Yemen and the Saudi-Houthi conflict

Reuters reported that the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis, an Iranian ally, is escalating. Baghaei reiterated Tehran's openness to help resolve the crisis through dialogue and said Iran would support any agreement reached by Yemenis and Saudis. He argued the Yemen issue should have been settled long ago under the UN roadmap.

The issue of Yemen should have been resolved a long time ago with the (UN) roadmap and we had said we would support any agreement reached by Yemenis and Saudis... Our request is that this situation be resolved through dialogue.

Al Jazeera reported that Riyadh is currently targeted by the Houthis. Rezaei accused Saudi Arabia of helping the US move oil around Iran's restrictions, but he did not threaten a direct attack on Riyadh.

Strait still largely closed to shipping

Al Jazeera reports that the strait has been largely closed to shipping since Iranian attacks followed the US and Israeli strikes that began on 28 February. The US naval blockade of Iran's southern ports is in place, and sanctions are tightening. Tehran has said it will pursue military and diplomatic efforts to press Washington on reopening the strait. Iran has not set a date for its reply, because the review of the US response is still under way.