Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Iran said on Sunday that its immediate focus is securing the Strait of Hormuz, even as it acknowledged its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, speaking in Tehran after a stop in Doha, said United States proposals had largely repeated earlier nuclear positions and that the nuclear file was not discussed. His remarks suggest Tehran wants talks on the strait to be handled separately from the nuclear question.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran’s plan could reopen the strait within seven days if Washington accepts linked commitments. He also warned of a stronger response than before to any fresh attack, while insisting the conflict has no military solution.
Separately, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Tehran will keep the strait closed until seven conditions set out in a June interim understanding with the United States are fulfilled, as per news reports. His remarks came days after Tehran received Washington’s reply to an Iranian diplomatic proposal. Qalibaf described Iran’s position as clear and firm and linked any reopening to the Memorandum of Understanding. Qalibaf has headed Iran’s negotiating team in the peace talks with the US. tribuneindia
The statements point to differences in emphasis within Tehran. The foreign minister spoke of a path to reopening within a week, while the parliament speaker tied reopening to the fulfilment of the conditions in the June understanding. The seven-day timeline and the seven conditions are separate points, and the reports do not make clear how they fit together.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, with a large share of global oil and gas shipments passing through it. Any prolonged closure raises freight and insurance costs and puts upward pressure on energy prices. India, which relies heavily on imports of crude oil and liquefied natural gas from the Gulf, has a direct interest in the strait’s reopening.
For now, the nuclear file remains off the table in the exchanges described by Baghaei, while the immediate contest is over who moves first on the strait. Diplomats will watch whether Washington accepts the linked commitments Araghchi has described.
