Iran Will Not Open Hormuz Strait as Long as US Continues Blockade

JAKARTA - The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament said on Wednesday, Tehran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the US naval blockade was in place, calling it a "flagrant violation of the ceasefire."

"A complete ceasefire only has meaning if it is not violated through a naval blockade. Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible in the midst of a blatant violation of the ceasefire," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a post on X as quoted by Al Arabiya (23/4).

"They have not achieved their goals through military aggression, and they will not achieve them through coercion. The only way forward is to recognize the rights of the Iranian people," added the head of the Mullah's negotiations.

In a separate English-language post, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran remained open to "dialogue and agreement," but warned "violations of commitments, blockades, and threats are the main obstacles to sincere negotiations."

"The world sees your endless hypocritical rhetoric and contradictions between claims and actions," added President Pezeshkian.

Iran seized two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, tightening its grip on the strategic waterway after US President Donald Trump called off planned military action while maintaining a naval blockade on Iran's maritime trade.

Trump earlier said on social media on Tuesday night that the United States had agreed to a request from Pakistani mediators "to delay our attack on the Iranian state until its leaders and representatives can present a unified proposal and the discussions are resolved, one way or another."

A source familiar with the matter said the Republican politician had not set a time frame for an extension of the truce.

Pakistan, which has acted as a mediator, has continued to try to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table after a planned round of talks failed before the two-week ceasefire was due to end.

Throughout the conflict, which broke out along with the US-Israeli attack on the capital Tehran and a number of other cities on February 28, Iran effectively restricted the route through the Strait of Hormuz by targeting ships that tried to pass without its permission. This waterway usually transports about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.