TEHRAN: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the US continues its naval blockade against Iran, local media reported.
Addressing a weekly press briefing in Tehran, Baqaei said that the Strait of Hormuz was closed due to the US and Israeli military aggression against Iran. He emphasised that the reopening of the waterway relies on the conditions enforced on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz by the US and Israeli authorities, Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.
"As long as the US naval blockade continues, the necessary conditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz do not exist," said Baqaei. He stressed that the US needs to stop and make changes in its "destructive actions" so that the two sides could discuss the next steps.
Baqaei mentioned that the talks between Iran and Oman over a shipping route is a bilateral matter which involves two nations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi stressed that reaching a pact with Oman on a new maritime route does not imply that the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened. "Of course, this does not mean the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. This agreement may be reached, but the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is subject to a series of conditions," he said. (IANS)
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