Three Iranian Demands to the US to Open the Strait of Hormuz Again

ILLUSTRATION PHOTO/US military Sea Hawk helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz/DOK PHOTO U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. Fifth Fleet

JAKARTA - Iran is finalizing an agreement with Oman regarding the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. However, Tehran stated that the agreement between the two coastal countries does not mean that the waterway will be reopened.

Tehran said it needed a number of guarantees from the United States for the ships to be able to cross the strait freely.

In an interview with the state news agency Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, outlined Iran's demands, saying the US must reverse actions that it considers to be in violation of previous commitments.

Reported by CNN, Thursday, August 6, Iran's demands against the US include:

- Ending the naval blockade of Iranian ports

- Deal with the sanctions reimposed on Iran when the ceasefire failed - especially in the oil sector - and continue negotiations on frozen Iranian assets

- Dealing with the "failure" of the US to guarantee stability in Lebanon as planned in the memorandum of understanding reached with Washington in June.

When asked whether Iran was essentially implementing Article 5 of the June agreement - which requires Iran to guarantee safe commercial shipping lanes for 60 days - Gharibabadi replied "No."

"Article 5 only establishes guiding principles, not final operational plans," he said, adding that the new agreement between Iran and Oman is presented as a completely new model that reflects the current security situation.

"And not a continuation of the arrangement that has been in place for the previous 60 years," he said.

"This means that the shipping route through the strait will change, where most of the commercial traffic will cross Iranian territorial waters and the rest through Omani waters," he said.

Gharibabadi said the arrangement reflected a new strategy to exercise "effective sovereignty" over the strait, while stressing that Iran does not intend to routinely close the waterway in peacetime.