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Iran Denies Talks With U.S., Says Strait of Hormuz Will Remain Shut
By Maya Wilson
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Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran is not holding talks with the United States and that the Strait of Hormuz will remain shut until Iran’s demands are met, according to Al Jazeera.
Rezaei did not specify the demands in the remarks reported by Al Jazeera. The report provided no further detail on what conditions Iran is seeking or what steps might lead to the strait reopening.
The statement rejects the prospect of ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington, while tying the continued closure of the strategic waterway to Iran’s stated conditions. Al Jazeera’s reporting did not establish whether any indirect contacts were taking place.
Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said at least three ships had struck mines and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported.
That account remains an Iranian military claim. The reported incidents and the number of ships involved had not been independently confirmed in the reporting. Al Jazeera’s account did not provide further independently verified details about the vessels, their locations or the extent of any damage.
The two statements place the strait’s continued closure and reported maritime incidents at the centre of Iran’s latest public position. However, the available reporting does not establish the circumstances behind the alleged mine strikes or provide details of any negotiations with the United States beyond Rezaei’s denial.
Iran’s demands remain unspecified in the report, and no timetable for reopening the Strait of Hormuz was given.
— Maya Wilson, World Desk
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