BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 2. The Strait of
Hormuz will remain closed, and no final agreement will be reached
until Iran's legitimate demands are met and the US naval blockade
against the country is lifted, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Esmail Baghaei said.
He made the remarks at a news conference in Tehran on Monday
(November 2), according to the ministry.
"Iran's demands have been stated very clearly and transparently,
and they are reasonable demands. It is now up to the United States
to make a decision on this matter. Once Iran's demands are met, it
will be possible to discuss how to move the process forward," he
said.
Baghaei added that, from a diplomatic standpoint, recent
mediation efforts had resulted in a new initiative based on
dialogue and discussions between Iran and the United States.
Negotiations had intensified under Iran's seven-stage plan, which
could be implemented within two days, he said.
"This issue demonstrates Iran's goodwill strategy. Iran has
announced that, provided its demands are met, security can be
restored to the Strait of Hormuz and the negotiation process can
begin within a short period of time. All of this depends on what
steps the United States takes regarding the future of the process,"
he said.
It should be recalled that the latest escalation in US-Iran
relations began on July 8. On that day, US forces launched several
waves of strikes against Iranian territory, claiming they were in
response to an attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of
Hormuz. The strikes marked the first such US military action
against Iran since a memorandum was signed between Washington and
Tehran.
On the same day, US President Donald Trump announced the
termination of the ceasefire with Iran.
In response, Tehran began striking US facilities in Bahrain,
Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
The conflict has brought maritime trade through the Strait of
Hormuz to a virtual standstill.
