Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until the United States recognises Tehran's system of governance and accepts an Iranian-led framework for managing the strategic waterway, the Iranian Army's spokesperson, Brigadier General Mohammad Akrami Nia, has said.
The remarks mark the latest hardening of Iran's military stance on the strait, through which roughly a fifth of the world's seaborne oil trade normally passes, according to Iran's state-run broadcaster Press TV.
Akrami Nia's comments come as the ceasefire brokered under last month's Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the US has effectively unravelled.
Tehran shut the strait after accusing Washington of trying to escort commercial vessels through what it called an unauthorised route, in breach of the agreement, which had guaranteed 60 days of toll-free maritime transit.
The US has rejected the accusation and has since carried out fresh air strikes on Iranian territory, while reinstating its naval blockade of Iranian ports this week.
In earlier remarks to Iranian media, Akrami Nia said the strait would never reopen under US military pressure, and that Washington's compliance with the memorandum remained the only route to lifting the closure.
Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, travelled to Muscat over the weekend to discuss a possible compromise with Omani officials, after Oman proposed a British-drafted mechanism allowing shipping firms to make voluntary payments for navigational and emergency services, rather than the compulsory tolls Tehran has demanded.
That proposal is still being weighed by European governments, even as Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy separately reiterated that the strait remained closed to commercial traffic.
US President Donald Trump has declared the ceasefire "over" following the latest exchange of strikes, though officials on both sides say indirect talks, mediated by Qatar and Oman, are continuing even as rhetoric between Washington and Tehran sharpens.
ALSO READ: US Missiles Strike Near Children's Cancer Hospital In Iran's Ahvaz As Fresh Attacks Continue
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
