Iran's Revolutionary Guard: Hormuz Reopening Tied to US Accepting Tehran's Terms

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has stated that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on the United States accepting Tehran's conditions, and is not linked to ongoing negotiations with Oman.

Speaking in Bandar Abbas, Guard spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi described the strait as more than a mere economic waterway. He called it "a capability and a source of power" that Iran possesses due to its geography, adding that the country will "make use of that geography."

Mohebbi said the strait's reopening has its own specific mechanism, separate from the talks between Iran and Oman, which he said have nearly concluded. He insisted that the US must refrain from interfering in those negotiations and accept Iran's terms for the strait to be reopened.

Iranian leaders appear to be betting that military pressure will eventually force Washington to accept their control over the crucial waterway. Iran says it is close to a deal with Oman to manage the strait, but any such arrangement would be conditional on the US lifting its blockade, meaning approval from Washington would be required.

It remains unclear whether the deal would allow Iran to charge fees, but it would formalize Iranian control over a waterway that, before the war, was an open international passage carrying a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas.