Iran Remains in Control of the Strait of Hormuz, Choosing to Be Passive in Negotiations with the US

ILLUSTRATION PHOTO/DOK US Navy

JAKARTA - Iran has not sought negotiations with the United States over the past two weeks and will not relinquish control of the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump once claimed that Iran "really wants negotiations," said Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi. However, he gave a very different explanation in an interview on Iranian television on Tuesday night.

"We have not made any request for negotiations with the US for the past 16-17 days," he said, as reported by CNN, Wednesday, July 29.

Control of the Strait of Hormuz has been a key issue in the conflict between Iran and the United States, which insists freedom of navigation must be restored in the vital waterway - a route normally used by more than a fifth of the world's oil supplies.

"If the Strait of Hormuz returns to its previous condition, our success in this war is not complete," Gharibabadi said.

US warships are not allowed to approach the strait, he said, because mine clearance in the shipping lane is Iran's responsibility under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed last month.

"Oman wants to bring a country to carry out mine clearance operations in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz, but we do not allow it," Gharibabadi said.

He also hinted that Iran still has the right to charge for ships that pass through.

"The MoU requires Iran to provide a safe transit route for commercial vessels, "at no cost, for a period of 60 days," he said.

Negotiations with Oman on new rules for the strait continued throughout the month, but have not managed to resolve the issue.