Iran’s Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Tuesday said free passage through the Strait of Hormuz under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States is permitted
“only for 60 days,” while asserting that Tehran would not give up its rights over the strategic waterway.
“The text of the understanding states that passage through the strait without charge is only for 60 days. Iran will under no circumstances back down from its rights in the Strait of Hormuz. These are our territorial waters,” Ghalibaf said in a televised interview posted on his Telegram channel.
Ghalibaf said the arrangement on free transit through the Strait of Hormuz was temporary and maintained that Iran’s sovereignty over the waterway remained unchanged.
Iran’s Crude Exports Resumed At Higher Prices
He also claimed that US oil sanctions on Iran had been lifted, saying the country had resumed crude exports at higher prices.
“From the day the blockade was actually lifted until today, we have exported over 40 million barrels of oil — and this happened in just the last 10 or 12 days. But in the previous 50 or 60 days, we truly didn’t export even a single barrel of oil. We were entirely tied up with this issue,” he said.
According to Ghalibaf, Iranian crude is now being sold at prices roughly 20 per cent higher, with the proceeds being deposited into Iranian accounts.
Commenting on the recent exchange of attacks with the United States, Ghalibaf said Tehran viewed the incidents as violations of the agreement to end the conflict.
“Regarding the recent tit-for-tat attacks with the US over the weekend, we consider those events as a violation of the agreement to end the war,” he said.
“In the latest ceasefire violation, US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait were targeted,” he added.
‘We Are Ready For War’
Ghalibaf said Iran remained committed to implementing the memorandum while warning that Tehran was prepared to respond if Washington failed to honour its obligations.
“This process shows that we are serious about implementing the memorandum; we are both engaged in dialogue, and if they do not fulfill their commitments in the talks, we are ready for war,” he said.
“If America wants to fight, we are very good at fighting too. If they are going to deprive us of selling oil, no one will benefit from oil,” he added.
On the diplomatic front, Ghalibaf said Iran was continuing discussions to implement the provisions agreed under the memorandum.
“In the field of diplomacy, we are also seeking to continue talks to implement the five conditions that were supposed to be implemented immediately after the signing of the memorandum or whose implementation process should have begun,” he said.
Ghalibaf also said Israeli attacks in Lebanon had “significantly decreased” since the memorandum was signed.
The memorandum of understanding, brokered under Pakistani mediation, entered into force on June 18 after being electronically signed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump.
It provides a framework for ending the conflict and addressing outstanding issues between Washington and Tehran through negotiations, including a cessation of hostilities, sanctions relief, the nuclear issue, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional security arrangements.
