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| Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. Photo: AFP / Seyed |
TEHRAN – The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has declared that the vital Strait of Hormuz will remain firmly closed to international shipping until the United States fully capitulates to a comprehensive list of Tehran's demands. The hardline stance pours cold water on ongoing diplomatic efforts and signals a deeper crisis for global energy markets.
The critical maritime choke point has faced an effective Iranian blockade since late February, following initial military strikes by the United States and Israel. Tehran has since sought to enforce passage tolls and has aggressively targeted commercial vessels attempting to bypass its preferred maritime routes. Continuous flare-ups in the waterway have already shattered previous ceasefires, leaving mediators scrambling to salvage a pathway for peace talks.
Speaking on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged that discussions with Oman concerning transit arrangements were “approaching the final stages”. However, he insisted that any actual reopening of the strait remains strictly tethered to "other conditions and compensation for the violation" of prior diplomatic understandings. Furthermore, Araghchi explicitly denied direct negotiations with Washington, maintaining that both nations are merely “exchanging messages” via regional intermediaries.
The parameters of Tehran's demands were detailed sharply on Saturday by Iran's security chief, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr. According to state-affiliated media, the requirements for lifting the blockade include an immediate cessation of “war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq”.
Additional preconditions entail:
The complete lifting of the U.S. counterblockade on Iranian ports.
The total removal of international economic sanctions.
The unfreezing of overseas Iranian state assets.
Substantial financial compensation for wartime infrastructure and economic damages.
Reiterating these uncompromising terms, the Revolutionary Guards issued a defiant bulletin on Sunday. “Our strategy is to maintain the closure until the enemy accepts all our conditions… the strait is now actually a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway,” the IRGC stated.
The hardening stance coincides with a sharp escalation of violence across regional waters. The United Arab Emirates' foreign ministry recently condemned a hostile missile attack that struck an ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) tanker transiting the troubled strait. This incident echoed reports from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which confirmed a separate projectile strike off the coast of Oman that triggered a fire onboard a commercial vessel.
While Omani officials continue to advocate for a constructive diplomatic atmosphere regarding navigation protocols, peripheral conflicts continue to expand. In tandem with the maritime crisis, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for a strike on a Saudi oil facility along the Red Sea coast, compounding fears of a multi-front energy supply blockade.
As international observers monitor the standoff, the hardening posture of the Revolutionary Guards threatens to prolong the severe disruptions facing global energy supply chains, keeping shipping insurers and international policymakers on high alert.