Iran ties Hormuz reopening to US concessions
Shafaq News- Tehran
Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed unless the United States accepts Tehran’s conditions, including ending the war and releasing frozen Iranian funds, newly appointed Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei stated on Tuesday.
Rezaei said any agreement with Oman over passage through the strait would be separate from reopening it, adding that mediators had conveyed Iran’s conditions to Washington.
If the blockade continues, American vessels and forces will face serious risks and casualties. The U.S. must change its behavior — or we will not tolerate this. We will never permit the opening of a second corridor in the Strait of Hormuz.
— محسن رضایی (@ir_rezaee) August 3, 2026
On August 7, a US official told Reuters that Washington expected an agreement soon and would lift its blockade of Iranian ports once a deal restoring commercial navigation was announced and implemented. Rezaei, however, warned that continued US enforcement of the blockade would expose American vessels and forces to “serious risks and casualties.”
“We will never allow the opening of a second corridor in the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.
Only six vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, compared with a 10-day average of about 11 and a pre-war norm of roughly 130 to 140 vessels. US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed to have redirected 55 commercial vessels, disabled two, and boarded two others as of August 9 while enforcing Washington’s naval blockade against Iran, while Tehran also upholds its closure of the waterway.
Rezaei was appointed secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on August 10 by President Masoud Pezeshkian, replacing Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei also named him as his representative on the council.
