Iran Sets Conditions for Hormuz Reopening, Demands U.S. Troop Withdrawal and Lifting of Sanctions

Iran has put forward demands for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the region, compensation for war damages, and the lifting of sanctions against Iran, just ahead of the planned reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Although Iran announced that negotiations to reopen the strait have entered their final stage, the country also increased pressure by stating that the actual reopening depends on the U.S. position.

According to U.S. media outlets such as The New York Times (NYT) and CNN on August 8 (local time), Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, revealed six demands for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz through Iranian state media on this day.

Iran called on the United States to lift the maritime blockade and sanctions against Iran and to withdraw naval and air force units stationed in the region surrounding Iran. In addition, Iran urged the United States to provide compensation for damages caused by what it calls “aggressive war,” and to release Iran’s frozen assets unconditionally.

On the 6th (local time), the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was held at Azadi Square in southern Tehran, Iran. Photo by Yonhap News

The demands also included orders for the United States to halt attacks on Iran’s regional allies and to withdraw all threats against Iran. Secretary Zolghadr stated, “The Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the United States corrects its actions.”

These are tougher conditions than the memorandum of understanding (MOU) previously agreed to by the United States and Iran to end hostilities. That MOU stipulated that the U.S. would end sanctions against Iran according to the timeline of the final nuclear agreement, but Iran now insists that sanctions should be lifted before the strait is reopened.

This statement was issued as Iran and Oman, neighboring countries to the Strait of Hormuz, are negotiating ways to resume passage through the strait. Iran has emphasized that talks with Oman are very close to an agreement, but maintains that the actual reopening of the strait depends on the United States’ decision.

According to semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim, Sardar Mohebi, spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said that the conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz are that the United States fully accepts Iran’s demands and does not interfere in regional negotiations.

As Iran has clarified its conditions for reopening, expectations for normalization of the Strait of Hormuz are declining again. The NYT assessed that these demands have reversed earlier expectations that trade flows through the strait would soon recover through an Iran-Oman agreement.

Indeed, shipping volume through the strait still remains well below pre-war levels. According to shipping data provider Kpler, the average number of vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz last week was barely a dozen per day, which is less than one-tenth of pre-war traffic.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.