Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will stay closed until the United States accepts Tehran's conditions. The statement came as Qatar, which is mediating between Washington and Tehran, is reportedly working on a new diplomatic proposal to ease tensions and reopen the waterway.
What Iran said
Brigadier General Mohammad Akram Nia, a spokesman for the Iranian army, made the remarks on Friday evening at a ceremony in Pishwa, in Tehran province. He said the decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz depended on Washington accepting Iran's terms, and he claimed that the armed forces have full control of the waterway.
He also said that Iran's army, the Revolutionary Guards and law enforcement agencies are better prepared than before, following direct military clashes with the United States and Israel. According to him, public support during the war has raised the morale of Iranian forces.
The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and it is one of the most important routes for global energy shipments. The spokesman said about 130 ships a day passed through it before the war, carrying roughly 20 per cent of the world's oil, along with aircraft fuel and chemical fertilisers. These are the spokesman's own figures.
Qatar's proposal
Reports say Qatar is trying to persuade Tehran to allow UN inspectors to visit nuclear sites where Iran keeps its stockpile of enriched uranium. The sites reportedly include locations that were hit by recent bombing. The plan does not reportedly require Iran to move its enriched uranium out of the country.
Other options are also under consideration. One is downblending, a process that lowers the enrichment level of highly enriched uranium so that it is less concentrated and easier to manage. Qatar's broader aim, reports say, is to reduce tensions so that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz can resume.
What happens next
It is not confirmed that Iran has accepted the proposal, and no final understanding on UN access to nuclear sites has been announced. Any outcome will depend on the agreement of both sides and on further diplomatic talks. For now, the public position from Tehran is that the strait stays closed until its conditions are met.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Iran ki fauj ke tarjuman ne kaha hai ke Aabnaye Hormuz tab tak band rahegi jab tak America Iran ki shartein nahi maanta. Qatar ek naya samjhota tajweez kar raha hai jis mein UN ke inspectors ko Iran ke nuclear sites tak rasai dene ki baat hai. Abhi tak yeh tasdeeq nahi hua ke Iran isay qabool karega ya nahi. Petrol aur tel ki qeematon par iska asar ho sakta hai, lekin abhi koi pakka andaza nahi.
