Iran Sets Broad Demands for Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz

A senior Iranian official, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, announced that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States “corrects its behavior.” Zolghadr’s statement, circulated by Iranian state media, lists a wide-ranging set of conditions: lift the U.S. naval blockade, end all sanctions, release frozen Iranian assets, withdraw U.S. forces from the region, cease strikes in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq, and pay war reparations. The United States reinstated its naval blockade on July 14 2026, intensifying retaliatory attacks and prompting the collapse of a tentative memorandum of understanding between the two countries.

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Negotiations involving Oman had raised hopes earlier in the year that commercial traffic could resume, easing global energy markets. Those talks stalled after the blockade resumed and after a temporary cease-fire memorandum signed in June fell apart over disputes about maritime control and transit fees. U.S. officials have linked any lifting of sanctions to a separate agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, while Iran insists the U.S. must first meet its broader demands.

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that a deal would restore “freedom of movement” for commercial vessels and projected that oil-related prices would fall once ships return to their routes, benefiting the broader economy, including fertilizers and industrial gases. The Trump administration had not publicly responded to the Iranian list as of the Saturday announcement. President Donald Trump, however, reiterated his stance that the United States would not concede without a “deal, or total surrender,” and earlier in August he suspended threats of heavy bombing to keep negotiations open.

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U.S. gas prices have risen to an average of $4.02 per gallon, up from $3.16 a year earlier, reflecting market volatility tied to the strait’s closure. Reports also claim that U.S. munitions stockpiles have been strained, a point Trump denied, asserting the United States possesses “massive amounts of ‘munitions’.”

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• “Nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to, and nothing will get through, unless a Deal, or Total Surrender, is accomplished,” — Donald Trump, which drew president — Donald Trump, former President of the United States.

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