Tehran: Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz or resume talks with the United States under the earlier framework unless Washington accepts Tehran’s
conditions, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said amid escalating tensions between the two countries. According to Al Jazeera, Ghalibaf said Iran had communicated its demands to the US through intermediaries. He further added that Tehran would maintain its stance unless Washington met those conditions. “Our messages and conditions have been conveyed explicitly to the other side through intermediaries... And until these conditions are met, the inalienable rights of the Iranian nation are recognised, and the Americans fulfil their commitments, there will be no possibility of a return to the previous negotiation framework or to reopen the Strait of Hormuz,” Ghalibaf said. Notably, the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway which accounted for 20 per cent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the start of the US-Iran war, has been a major flashpoint in the escalating conflict between the two nations. Ghalibaf's remarks came after Iran's central military command warned that any renewed US military action against Tehran would trigger attacks against American bases and interests across the region. Iran claimed that it had received intelligence suggesting the United States was planning to resume bombing. The development came ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, amid growing tensions between Iran, the US and regional powers. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, who has not ruled out several possible courses of action, told Fox News that "very big things are going to be happening in the not-so-distant future". He said the options under consideration included "wiping Iran out, letting them rot economically or making a deal". Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that any new US attack would trigger retaliation across the region.
