Iran speaker: Strait of Hormuz won't reopen until seven conditions met
In short
Iran's parliament speaker, Qalibaf, said on October 4 that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until seven conditions Iran has set out under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding are met. He said the United States had recently put proposals to Iran through intermediaries while giving a different public account, and that forcing unilateral demands through a war of attrition was no longer possible. US President Donald Trump said on October 2 that the war with Iran would end soon and that Iran would never have nuclear weapons.
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Iran's parliament speaker, Qalibaf, said on October 4 that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the seven conditions Iran has set out under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding are satisfied. He said that although the United States gives a different public account, Washington had recently put forward some proposals through intermediaries, and that the era of imposing unilateral demands through a war of attrition was over. Qalibaf described the United States as being in a state of despair in the face of what he called Iran's firm stance and stubborn resistance. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
US President Donald Trump said on October 2 that the war with Iran would “soon” end and that Iran would never have nuclear weapons, according to the same reports. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Yicai and Jiemian attributed the report to CCTV News, and CLS carried text with the same content. None of the documents lists the seven conditions, describes the proposals passed through intermediaries, explains the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, or states where the speaker made the remarks or what the current status of the strait is. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The remarks indicate the standoff between Iran and the United States is unresolved: Washington has passed proposals through intermediaries, while Tehran ties any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to seven conditions it says are unmet. The Chinese business outlets carrying the report give no independent detail on those conditions, the proposals or the state of the waterway, so the practical effect cannot be judged from the documents alone.
Key facts
- Iran's parliament speaker, Qalibaf, said on October 4 that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the seven conditions Iran set out under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding are met. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Qalibaf said the United States has recently put forward proposals through intermediaries even though it gives a different public account. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Qalibaf said the era of imposing unilateral demands through a war of attrition is over, and described the United States as being in a state of despair. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- US President Donald Trump said on October 2 that the war with Iran would end “soon” and that Iran would never have nuclear weapons. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Yicai and Jiemian attributed the report to CCTV News; CLS carried the same text. [ 2 , 3 ]
- None of the documents lists the seven conditions, describes the US proposals, or explains the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Iran's parliament speaker, Qalibaf, said the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the seven conditions Iran set out under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding are met. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Qalibaf said the United States has recently made proposals through intermediaries while presenting a different account publicly. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Qalibaf said the era of forcing unilateral demands through a war of attrition has ended, and said the United States was in a state of despair. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- US President Donald Trump said on October 2 that the war with Iran would end soon and that Iran would never have nuclear weapons. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- What the seven conditions Iran says it set out actually are. All three documents refer to seven conditions without listing any of them.
- What proposals the United States passed to Iran through intermediaries, and whether Iran has accepted or rejected them. The documents say only that proposals were made and that Washington gives a different account; no content is given.
- What the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding covers and when it was concluded. It is named as the basis for Iran's conditions but is not described in any document.
- The current status of the Strait of Hormuz and when or why it closed. The documents speak only of the strait not reopening, without stating its present state or the circumstances of any closure.
- Where and to whom the speaker made the remarks. The documents give the date but not the venue or audience.