Iran's Supreme National Security Council on March 15 announced new conditions Tehran requires the United States to fulfill before the Strait of Hormuz can be fully reopened. The statement came as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for reaching an agreement with Washington.
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Washington "adjusts its behavior." Zolghadr emphasized six conditions: the U.S. must end threats and insults against Iran's national and religious values; permanently halt attacks on Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq; lift the naval blockade and withdraw all U.S. naval and air forces from the area around Iran; compensate for damages from the two wars he called "imposed wars"; lift sanctions and unconditionally release Iran's frozen assets.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also issued a statement the same day, affirming that reopening Hormuz depends on Washington accepting the conditions, separate from negotiations between Iran and Oman. "When the U.S. accepts Iran's conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will certainly be reopened," IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi told the Tasnim news agency.
The new conditions go far beyond the content of a June memorandum. According to Reuters, the earlier memorandum addressed issues within a phased reciprocal process, whereas Zolghadr now treats them as prerequisites for fully reopening the strait. This also contrasts with Washington's latest stance. An unnamed U.S. official said on March 14 that the blockade of Iranian ports would be lifted once commercial shipping through Hormuz is restored "unimpeded," with U.S. steps linked to Iran's fulfillment of commitments.
Meanwhile, President Pezeshkian expressed support for efforts to reach a deal, telling a press conference broadcast on IRIB that he believes "this is the best time to reach an agreement." He said: "The country has cohesion, strength, and unity, and as far as I know, Iran is seen as victorious and powerful in this war."
The Iranian leader also suggested that Tehran and Washington should have established a mechanism to handle alleged violations of the earlier memorandum rather than letting disputes return to military confrontation. "We need to see the current resolution method, if there is a solution, which is being discussed in the negotiations in Oman," he said, expressing hope that Iran can move beyond the current state of "no war, no peace."
