Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman: The Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until the blockade is ended...and the ball is in America’s court

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei renewed his country’s demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore security in the region, including ending the American blockade imposed on Iran. Baghaei said in statements reported by the semi-official Iranian Mehr News Agency, “Restoring security in the region depends on the implementation of Tehran’s demands, and that opening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible before ending the blockade, and that continuing the diplomatic path depends on the American decision.” Ismail Baghaei added, "The United States is the party that must make the decision, and that Iran has conveyed to the American side everything necessary within a reasonable framework, and that the implementation of Iranian demands is a condition for the return of security to the region and the Strait of Hormuz," according to Mehr Agency.

The Iranian spokesman claimed that "Washington has not yet presented any initiative, but rather has worked to thwart diplomatic initiatives, noting that over the past two years it has continued to push toward war or undermine existing diplomatic paths, including the Islamabad path, of which the current chief American negotiator was one of its parties." Baqaei added, "Iran proposed a seven-stage initiative that could be implemented within two days. It reviewed the other party's views and exchanged notes with it," stressing that "the Iranian proposal still stands, and that the ball is now in the American court." Ismail Baghaei spoke about the recent visit of the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister to Doha, explaining that it came with the aim of facilitating interactions between the two countries, stressing the continued exchange of messages and discussions, despite the complexity of the issues at hand. The Iranian spokesman's statements come with the escalation of mutual threats between Iran and the United States in the event of a renewed conflict between them.

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had ordered to respond "without geographical restrictions" to any new threat. A high-ranking security official in Tehran told Ofoq News that Iran will seek to target infrastructure outside oil facilities in the region, including artificial intelligence, and warned that if the conflict is renewed, it will be a long “war of surprises.”