Iran's Conditions for Reopening 'Hormuz'.. Demands to End the War

A senior Iranian official outlined his country's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz to navigation, foremost among them halting American threats and ending the war and aggression against Iran and its allies, along with the withdrawal of US forces from around Iranian territory. The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Bagher Zolqadr, said on Sunday that opening the strait is linked to what he described as the United States 'correcting' its behavior toward Iran, stressing that Tehran will not back down or compromise on its position, whether during negotiations or if the war continues. Iran's 'Mehr' news agency quoted Zolqadr as saying that correcting American behavior requires stopping any threat to Iran, not insulting the sanctities of the Iranian people, and ending the war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq definitively. He also demanded lifting the naval blockade and withdrawing US military forces, naval and air, from around Iran, considering that a necessary condition for reopening the strait to navigation. The Iranian official stressed the need to pay full compensation for the damages inflicted on Iran due to what he called the two 'aggressive wars' imposed on it, along with lifting sanctions imposed on the Iranian people and the unconditional release of frozen and confiscated Iranian funds and properties. Zolqadr said these demands represent, in his words, the demands of the Iranian people, who have remained present for 160 days in the fields of confrontation and the streets, adhering to these demands. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important waterways for energy, making any restrictions on navigation through it a matter of wide international concern, given the potential repercussions on trade and oil and energy markets.