TEHRAN, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the war in Lebanon is not ended, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday, citing a source close to the Iranian negotiating team.
The source warned that if Israel's "crimes" in Lebanon continue and Lebanon's territorial integrity is not guaranteed, Iran will hold no negotiation on other issues.
The source added that Iran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz also include the release of part of the country's frozen assets as a first step under the recently signed peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States and a related agreement with Qatar, as well as the implementation of the MoU's provisions, which require ending the war on all fronts including Lebanon, lifting the U.S. anti-Iran naval blockade, and the U.S. issuance of waivers for Iran's exports of oil, petrochemicals, and petroleum products.
According to the source, lifting the naval blockade alone is not sufficient for reopening the strait.
The remarks come as Iran's negotiating team, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, and Deputy Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Bagheri Kani, is currently in Switzerland for talks with the U.S. delegation.
In a Sunday post on social media platform X, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the country is determined to pursue the U.S. implementation of its commitments under the MoU during the meeting in Switzerland.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, signed the peace MoU early Thursday, with its finalization announced last week by Tehran, Washington, and Islamabad.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, barring passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States.■
