Confirmed: Strait of Hormuz to be Managed by Iran
Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz will be managed by Tehran. He made the statement on Tuesday, following talks aimed at ending the US-Israel war in the Islamic Republic.
In the first round of talks held in Switzerland on Monday, Iran and the United States agreed to establish a communication channel to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and end the fighting in Lebanon.
“The Strait of Hormuz will never return to pre-war conditions and will be managed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with international law,” Ghalibaf said upon returning from the meeting, according to Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, as reported by AFP on Tuesday.
In a video uploaded to Ghalibaf’s Telegram account, he said the talks at the luxury Swiss resort of Burgenstock yielded “good achievements”.
“I believe this trip produced good achievements, especially regarding the discussion on the Strait of Hormuz, the discussion on Lebanon, the issue of oil exemptions, and the issue of unfreezing blocked funds,” said the speaker of Iran’s parliament.
The United States temporarily suspended sanctions on Iranian oil after Vice President JD Vance said Tehran would allow UN nuclear inspectors to return to the country following the talks.
As part of the agreement, Tehran will also receive some form of sanctions relief from Washington, as well as the unfreezing of assets.
“Of course, we believe we are still at the beginning of this work and must continue our efforts,” Ghalibaf added in the video.
Iranian state media reported that Ghalibaf also stopped in Oman, which shares the Strait of Hormuz.
The vital shipping route, which Iran closed at the start of the war, was reopened last week after Washington and Tehran reached an agreement.
However, Tehran announced on Saturday that it had closed the crucial strait again in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
Following the meeting in Switzerland, Tehran and Washington agreed to establish a communication channel “to avoid incidents and miscommunication with the aim of securing the shipping route for a fifth of the world’s oil.”