Tehran has given Washington a lukewarm verdict. Mohsen Rezaei, who heads the country’s top security body, said on Sunday that the Americans had signed up to part of Iran’s list of demands tied to the Hormuz waterway, but that their reply fell short and left several points “unclear”.
The conditions were set out around the UN General Assembly in September. Iran has not published the full list, but reporting by Turkey’s Anadolu agency says Tehran wants the fighting to stop, its frozen money unlocked, its oil exports freed from restrictions and the American blockade of its ports lifted. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said traffic through the strait could return to normal within a week if Washington signed on.
According to Rezaei, the American answer was relayed by Qatar. He described two months in which US officials had used Pakistan, Qatar and Iraq as go-betweens to ask for Iranian proposals. Iran, he said, now considers its part done and is waiting for Washington to clear up the ambiguities.
His language elsewhere was combative. Writing on X, he ruled out any return to the pre-war status quo and accused the US of “smuggling” oil through the waterway after failing to force it open. Speaking to state broadcaster Press TV, he warned that US data centres, cables and other facilities around the Gulf could become targets if fighting resumes.
The waterway has been largely shut since the US and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February. A truce was agreed in April and a framework document signed in June, but talks on a final settlement stalled. For shipping companies and energy markets, Sunday’s comments suggest the wait is not over.
