Iran issues new demands as Pezeshkian seeks deal

Zolghadr presumption goes beyond parts of the June 17 US-Iran memorandum of understanding.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has acceptable retired caller conditions it says the United States indispensable conscionable earlier the Strait of Hormuz tin afloat reopen.

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, caput of the council, said connected Saturday that the strait would stay closed until Washington “corrects its behaviour” successful a connection published by Iran’s authorities broadcaster IRIB.

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The six conditions see an extremity to US threats against Iran and insults to what Zolghadr described arsenic the country’s nationalist and spiritual values; a imperishable extremity to attacks against Iran and its allies successful Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq; the lifting of the US naval blockade and withdrawal of US naval and aerial forces from astir Iran; compensation for harm from what helium called 2 “imposed wars”; the lifting of sanctions; and the unconditional merchandise of frozen Iranian assets.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) besides said connected Saturday that reopening Hormuz depended connected Washington accepting the conditions and was abstracted from negotiations betwixt Iran and Oman.

“Whenever the United States accepts Iran’s conditions, the Strait of Hormuz volition surely beryllium reopened,” IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi was quoted arsenic saying by the semiofficial Tasnim quality agency.

New conditions spell beyond June memorandum

The six conditions Zolghadr listed broaden the presumption Iran present says indispensable beryllium met earlier Hormuz tin reopen, tying the waterway to a much expansive acceptable of political, subject and economical demands than those acceptable retired successful the June memorandum.

Most notably, they explicitly included Palestine, Yemen and Iraq alongside Lebanon successful calling for an extremity to attacks against Iran and its allies. They besides demanded an extremity to US threats and what Zolghadr described arsenic insults to Iran’s nationalist and spiritual values.

The conditions besides telephone for the withdrawal of US naval and aerial forces from astir Iran, afloat compensation for harm from what Zolghadr called 2 “imposed wars”, the lifting of sanctions and the unconditional merchandise of frozen Iranian assets.

Zolghadr, an ex-IRGC commander, volition negociate Iran’s information amid outer US-Israeli pressures and interior unrest [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]

While immoderate of these issues appeared successful earlier proposals, the Reuters quality bureau reported that the June memorandum treated them arsenic portion of a reciprocal and phased process. Zolghadr is present presenting them arsenic conditions Washington indispensable conscionable earlier the strait tin afloat reopen.

That besides differs from Washington’s latest position. An unnamed US authoritative told Reuters connected Friday that the blockade of Iranian ports would beryllium lifted erstwhile commercialized shipping done Hormuz was restored “without impediments”, with US steps tied to Iran carrying retired its commitments.

Pezeshkian says present is ‘best clip for agreement’

Meanwhile, President Masoud Pezeshkian has backed efforts to scope an agreement, saying astatine a quality league with journalists broadcast by IRIB that helium believed “now is the champion clip for an agreement”.

“There is cohesion, spot and unity successful the country, and arsenic acold arsenic I know, Iran is considered victorious and almighty successful this war,” helium said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivers remarks successful Tehran, Iran [Handout/Iranian Presidency via Anadolu]

Pezeshkian said Tehran and Washington should person established a mechanics for dealing with alleged violations of their earlier memorandum alternatively than allowing disputes to instrumentality to subject confrontation.

“We request to spot however to resoluteness them now, if a solution is possible, which is presently being worked connected successful the Oman negotiations,” helium said, adding that helium hoped Iran could determination beyond the existent authorities of “neither warfare nor peace”.