Iran has given the United States a list of demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, it was reported on Wednesday.
According to CNN, the list was handed to the US by Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who demanded full implementation of the points agreed under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, whose validity expired on Monday.
Qalibaf said the time had come to return to diplomacy after military action, warning that the US could not secure concessions by increasing pressure on Iran.
He also criticised US officials Pete Hegseth and Scott Bessent, saying they were speaking beyond their authority and that a team of “clowns” could not perform miracles.
Qalibaf said Iran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the naval blockade was lifted. He said the restrictions on oil, the freezing of Iranian assets, and military operations must also end before the waterway could be reopened.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made Iran’s position clear to mediators and the United States. He said Washington had made no request for a ceasefire during the first two weeks of the war.
Araghchi said Iran did not want a temporary ceasefire that could lead to the conflict starting again. “We do not want a ceasefire; we want the war to end completely,” he said.
