Washington Rejects Any Restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz

Washington – Agencies: The US Wall Street Journal revealed that the United States informed intermediaries of its rejection of any Iranian restrictions or fees on navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, as negotiations continue regarding arrangements to reopen the vital waterway. The newspaper stated that Washington told participating mediators in the ongoing talks that it rejects any Iranian restrictions on ship movements through the Strait of Hormuz, considering freedom of navigation in the strategic passage a red line that cannot be negotiated. The newspaper added that this position comes amid differences between the two sides regarding the conditions for reopening the strait to maritime traffic, noting that the issue of imposing restrictions or fees by Iran is one of the main points of contention obstructing the achievement of an agreement.

In a related context, the newspaper said that Iran had threatened to prevent US Navy ships from crossing the Strait of Hormuz as part of the arrangements being negotiated, a move met with firm US rejection.

On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said yesterday that “Iran and Oman are very close to reaching an agreement on a new shipping route through Hormuz,” adding that what he described as violations of the memorandum of understanding and undermining Iran’s management of the Strait of Hormuz is “absolutely unacceptable.” He pointed out that the “previous plan for separating traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is no longer acceptable to Tehran, and a new path is needed.” Araghchi said that “the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz depends on other conditions, including compensation for Washington’s violations of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding,” in his words.

In a related development, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, on the second anniversary of his inauguration, said that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf joined the Iranian negotiating team at the government’s request, confirming that the latter agreed to participate. He added that the decision to form the team “was not solely the government’s decision” but resulted from consensus among various “state institutions,” as he described.

In this context, the United States announced that it expects to reach an agreement soon between Iran and the Sultanate of Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz, at a time when it has intensified its economic pressure by imposing sanctions on a cryptocurrency platform based in Dubai on charges of facilitating financial transactions in favor of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and entities linked to Tehran.

The Axios website quoted a diplomat from one of the intermediary countries as saying via the X platform that Iranian negotiators are awaiting approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council to finalize the agreement with the Sultanate of Oman and the United States. The diplomat said, “We expect this approval to be issued soon.”