By Vaughn Cockayne (The Washington Times)
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps again said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. respects the terms of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
Meanwhile, Iranian and Omani negotiators worked toward what could be a deal governing the waterway.
A spokesperson for the IRGC said in a statement Wednesday that the entirety of the strait, including Omani waters, is under Iran’s military control and would remain so until the U.S. accepts its demands.
“If the United States stops obstructing and returns to the memorandum, we can reopen the Strait of Hormuz within the framework of the agreement,” the spokesperson said. “If the United States does not accept our conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened under any circumstances.”
The U.S. and Iran entered into the Pakistan-brokered Islamabad MOU in June after weeks of diplomacy. The agreement outlined a regional ceasefire, a 60-day negotiating window, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the potential for sanctions relief for Iran.
Iran struck at commercial ships traveling in the strait in mid-July, leading to retaliatory strikes from the U.S., effectively killing the agreement.
Iran and Oman have held discussions for more than a month to hammer out a framework that would determine governance of the waterway, at least temporarily.
On Tuesday, following a meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart, Badr al-Busaidi, in Tehran, the two countries said they agreed on a temporary maritime route for ships traveling through the strait.
The pending agreement also includes a mine-sweeping agreement to clear the strait of dangerous material, according to the statement.
Both men said they hoped to release the full text of the agreement soon.
The IRGC has consistently said the U.S. naval blockade, which has been in effect since last month, is impeding the finalization of the agreement with Oman.
The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as the single most pressing issue for the U.S. and Iran in the six-month war.
The war started in late February with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian political and military targets. In retaliation, Iran struck at U.S. military assets in the Middle East and declared the closure of Hormuz.
The strait, connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is used by international shipping companies to transport a fifth of the world’s supply of oil and natural gas each year.
The strait’s closure has put dramatic pressure on the world economy. In the U.S., average gas prices have remained above $4 a gallon this month.
Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, dipped significantly to $88 a barrel on Wednesday following news of progress in the Iran-Oman deal. But prices still remain far higher than prewar levels, with the price per barrel in February sitting near $70.
The economic strain the strait’s closure is having on the U.S. has put political pressure on President Trump to facilitate an end to the conflict.
However, since the conflict restarted in July after a brief pause, Mr. Trump has been reluctant to cede any ground to Iran. He told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that he was “not in a hurry” to reach a diplomatic solution to the war.
Mr. Trump has also been reluctant to restart kinetic action against Iran, which he paused this month after fielding calls from regional leaders worried that the conflict could spiral out of control.
Instead, the Trump administration has leaned on economic pressure. This week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced “Operation Economic Outcast,” an expansion of secondary sanctions on countries retaining economic ties to Iran.
The plan outlined by Mr. Bessent, however, provided little detail on what actions the U.S. plans to take on some of Iran’s largest trade partners, namely China, Russia and Turkey.
Iran, for its part, has mostly brushed off the sanctions as more of the same.
However, Mr. Araghchi on Wednesday said he asked U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Security Council and member states to condemn the operation as unlawful and “economic terrorism.”
“The declared objective of this so-called ’operation’ is to end lawful economic relations with Iran, backed by threats of secondary sanctions and exclusion from the U.S. financial system,” Mr. Araghchi wrote them in his letter, first published on his Telegram account.
This article was made available to WMAL via The Washington Times.
