Strait of Hormuz to stay closed until US meets Iran demands

The Strait of Hormuz will stay closed until the United States meets seven conditions set by Tehran, Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei said on Tuesday, while flatly denying that any peace talks with Washington are under way. Al Jazeera reported his remarks as attacks on ships in the waterway continued.

Speaking to Lebanon's Al Mayadeen TV, Rezaei said claims of ongoing negotiations or a planned meeting in Qatar were "a pure lie". He accused Washington of talking up diplomacy to ease economic pressure and push oil prices down.

He said the first US response to Iran's terms had been "insufficient and deceptive" and that Tehran was still waiting for a clear and explicit answer.

What Iran is demanding

Iran has not published the full list of its seven conditions. However, Rezaei and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have said they include:

• Lifting sanctions on Iran
• Ending the US naval blockade
• Stopping the fighting on all fronts
• In particular, ending Israel's attacks on Lebanon

Araghchi has said the waterway could reopen within two days if those demands are met. He told the state news agency IRNA that the conflict would not be settled by military force or tougher sanctions, and that the only way forward was respectful diplomacy that addresses Iran's proposal, which he said remains on the table.

Washington signals a diplomatic opening

The comments came amid growing hopes of a breakthrough. US President Donald Trump said he saw "positive momentum" towards ending the war after meeting Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, at the White House on Monday. Qatar is a key mediator in the conflict.

Trump also said new attacks on Iran were unnecessary. In Paris, where Group of Seven foreign ministers were meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was "open to diplomacy".

Rubio repeated that further strikes were not needed if the same goals could be reached through economic means. He said the economic campaign was so damaging that there was currently no need for major combat operations, and that he had told allies as much.

Sheikh Mohammed also held talks in Paris with the Saudi foreign minister and four senior European diplomats only hours after seeing Trump. The French Foreign Ministry said those talks would focus on the Iran crisis and its security and economic fallout.

Ship attacks in the Strait of Hormuz hit a record

Despite the talk of diplomacy, the danger at sea has not eased. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said three oil tankers caught fire on Tuesday after hitting naval mines while using what it called an "unauthorised route" in the eastern part of the strait.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said it had received reports of incidents involving two tankers in the area. One of them was hit by an unknown projectile northeast of Lima village in Oman.

Maritime monitoring firms have counted at least 37 attacks on ships in and near the waterway so far in November. That is the highest monthly total since the war began.

Our earlier coverage of tanker fires in the strait and the stalled Iran-US talks explains how the crisis has developed.

Why it matters for Asia

The war is now in its ninth month. Al Jazeera said it has shaken global markets and disrupted oil and gas supplies, pushing prices up around the world.

Energy importers in Asia, including Thailand, are exposed to those swings. Fuel costs have become a sensitive issue at home, as seen in the recent fuel protest convoy in Bangkok.

Araghchi's two-day timeline means shipping could resume quickly if a deal is reached, but no agreement has been announced. For now, Tehran's position is that ships will not move freely until Washington gives the answer it wants.

The original report was published by Al Jazeera.

Image: The Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz at night, photographed from the International Space Station. Photo by NASA/Tim Kopra via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.