Iran says Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until US fulfils June commitments
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Iran has said it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States fulfils commitments Tehran says were made under a June 2026 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reiterated Tehran’s position while addressing Parliament, saying the strategic waterway would remain closed until the US fulfils its commitments under the peace deal signed in June, which has since collapsed.
“Iran has explicitly conveyed its messages and conditions to the opposing side through intermediaries,” Ghalibaf said, according to Al Jazeera.
According to an August 18 Reuters report, Ghalibaf said Iran’s conditions included lifting the US blockade of Iranian ports, removing sanctions, releasing Iranian frozen assets, ending US threats and military operations against Iran, and implementing other commitments Tehran says Washington made under the June MoU.
The June memorandum was intended to provide a framework for further negotiations between Washington and Tehran, including discussions on Iran’s nuclear programme. The two countries had committed to negotiating a final agreement within 60 days, with an extension possible by mutual consent.
The agreement later unravelled over disagreements including control of the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump declared the agreement “over” on July 7, while Iran’s Foreign Ministry said a week later that it had been suspended.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is a major global energy corridor. Before the current conflict, about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows passed through the waterway.
Shipping activity has remained well below normal levels. Preliminary data cited by Reuters showed four vessel crossings on September 16, compared with a 10-day average of 18. However, the figures may not include vessels that transited with tracking transponders switched off.
Ghalibaf’s remarks come amid a broader breakdown in US-Iran diplomacy, with Tehran continuing to link the reopening of the waterway to what it considers Washington’s obligations under the June agreement.