Iran Holds Firm on Hormuz Strait Conditions as Pakistan Delegation Visits Tehran
Theo Al Jazeera Staff
Iran's top security official says the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the US ends its war, lifts the naval blockade, returns frozen Iranian assets, and agrees to a regional ceasefire. The statement comes as Pakistan's interior minister visits Tehran and US and Houthi attacks on shipping continue, with thousands killed across the region.
Iran has maintained its stance on conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, even as Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visits Tehran and the US and Houthi forces in Yemen carry out attacks on shipping in the Gulf and the Red Sea.
These developments come amid a US- and Israeli-led war against Iran that shows no signs of ending, despite repeated statements by President Donald Trump that a deal is near.
Mohsen Rezaei, the newly appointed head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told China's ambassador in Tehran that Washington must halt its military campaign and return frozen Iranian assets abroad to allow the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
"As long as the US does not change its behavior and accept Iran's conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened," Rezaei said, according to Iranian media.
On social media platform X, he emphasized demands for an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and a regional ceasefire, including in Gaza and Lebanon. "Iran's message is clear: The Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened until the US ends its war and blockade, returns Iran's frozen assets, and agrees to a regional ceasefire, including in Lebanon and Gaza. Until all conditions are met, the strait will remain closed," he wrote.
The US had no immediate comment.
Pakistan Mediates
President Trump has made statements oscillating between threats of escalation and promises of an imminent peace deal throughout the conflict. In an interview aired late Monday, he said the situation could drag on, that he could be "impulsive" to bring Iran to economic collapse, or "hit them very hard." "I'm kind of in a negotiation," Trump told Real America's Voice. "They are very cunning negotiators."
In Tehran, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Pakistan's interior minister, discussing enhanced political, economic, trade, cultural, and security ties, according to a statement from the Iranian presidency. Naqvi's visit comes as Islamabad mediates efforts to end the conflict.
Earlier, Qatar, another mediator, said negotiations between Iran and Oman on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz had reached an advanced stage. "We have heard positive signals from both capitals in recent days," said Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry. "Our main priority is to reopen the strait, maintain the ceasefire, and ensure we can move toward negotiations."
Meanwhile, Iran said any agreement with Oman on shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz would not affect the reopening of the waterway.
US and Houthi Attacks
On the same day, US Central Command said a US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles to disable the steering system of a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the statement, the vessel had ignored multiple warnings about violating the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
In the southern Red Sea, four sailors were killed in an attack suspected to be carried out by Houthi forces on a small cargo ship in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, according to Yemen's Transport Ministry. Two Yemeni rescue workers from an anti-Houthi armed group also died, Yemen's coast guard said.
The incident involving the Egyptian-owned ship Tihamah is considered the first Houthi attack on shipping since the war with Iran began in late February. The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported the group had attacked a Saudi vessel carrying military equipment in Bab al-Mandeb, but did not name the ship; Saudi Arabia had no immediate response.
Thousands have been killed since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28. Iran has also struck US targets and infrastructure in Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Israel, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. In Iran, at least 3,527 people have been killed and more than 27,000 wounded. At least 18 Americans have also been killed.
The conflict has also spread to Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah has attacked Israel and Israel has carried out near-daily airstrikes. Lebanon's Health Ministry said Israel's latest military campaign, which began on March 2, has killed more than 4,300 people and wounded over 12,000. In Israel, at least 60 people have been killed in attacks by Iran and Hezbollah.
