Iran says Hormuz will remain closed until US fulfills commitments under memorandum

Iran vowed Tuesday it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the US fulfills its commitments under a memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides.

Speaking during a parliamentary session, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Tehran would use both diplomatic and military means to make Washington “understand the consequences of its actions,” according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

“Let me be clear: until the US fulfills its commitments under the memorandum of understanding — including lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets, lifting oil sanctions, ending threats and military operations on all fronts, and implementing the other conditions it committed to under the memorandum — the Strait will not reopen,” he said.

Qalibaf, who also serves as the chief of Iran’s negotiating team in talks with the US, said Tehran was pursuing what he described as “the power of logic and the logic of power” through coordination between the diplomatic and military fields.

He said the period provided by the memorandum, including the lifting of the US blockade and ceasefire, had helped Iran increase its economic resilience and rebuild its defensive capabilities.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared, in proportion to the enemy’s actions and aggression, to inflict an even heavier defeat on it,” Qalibaf added.

Iran and the US signed the memorandum of understanding in June through Pakistani and Qatari mediation, ending hostilities and opening a 60-day window for negotiations toward a final agreement.

​​​​​​​Talks have since stalled amid disputes over implementation of the memorandum and arrangements for navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil and gas exports.