Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until Washington meets seven conditions, Al Jazeera reported, tying a key energy route to stalled diplomacy.
Al Jazeera said Rezaei made the comments in an interview with Lebanon's Al Mayadeen TV on Tuesday. He called accounts of continuing negotiations or a planned meeting in Qatar a “pure lie.” Rezaei accused Washington of invoking diplomacy to ease economic pressure and lower oil prices. He said the first U.S. response did not satisfy Tehran, which was still waiting for a clear answer.
Al Jazeera said Iran has not released the full terms. Rezaei and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have described the demands as including an end to sanctions and the U.S. naval blockade, as well as an end to fighting across fronts, particularly Israel's attacks on Lebanon. Araghchi said the strait could reopen within two days if Iran's demands were met. EconoTimes has previously reported on Iran's seven conditions for reopening Hormuz and resuming U.S. talks.
President Donald Trump said he saw “positive momentum” toward ending the war and considered further attacks unnecessary. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister, met Trump at the White House on Monday. Al Jazeera described Qatar as a key mediator in the conflict. Afterward, Al Thani met the Saudi foreign minister and four European diplomats in Paris. The French Foreign Ministry said the talks would address the Iran crisis and its security and economic effects.
In Paris, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remained open to diplomacy. He said economic measures could achieve U.S. objectives without major combat operations.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed three oil tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines while using an eastern Strait of Hormuz route it said Iran had not authorized. Separately, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received reports of incidents involving two tankers. The agency said one was hit by an unidentified projectile northeast of Oman's Lima village.
Al Jazeera cited maritime monitoring firms it did not identify for a tally of at least 37 attacks on ships in or near the strait in October, the highest monthly total since the war began. The outlet said the conflict had entered its ninth month, disrupting oil and gas supplies and raising prices worldwide.
