Iran says Strait of Hormuz will stay shut until US meets its demands
Iran has denied holding talks with the United States and says the Strait of Hormuz will stay closed until Washington lifts sanctions and its naval blockade. The US has called Iran's conditions "outrageous".
Andaleb Youns · Newsroom Intern, Cohort 1
2 min read
Iran has denied holding talks with the United States and says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until its demands are met, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday, 11 November.
The strait is one of the world's most important shipping routes for oil and gas, and its closure has kept it at the centre of the war between Iran and the US.
A two-day proposal
Tehran has put forward a proposal for two days of talks on reopening the strait, cut down from an earlier seven-day plan, Reuters reported.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said at his weekly press conference in Tehran that the proposal "remains the most rational option on the table", one that could "pave the way for restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf", Dawn reported.
"The Americans must make a genuine decision, if they have properly understood the message of their own people," he added, in a reference to the US midterm election results.
US rejects Iran's conditions
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Iran's conditions "outrageous and ridiculous", according to Reuters.
Baghaei responded: "Is it unreasonable that Iran demands that US illegal sanctions and its naval blockade must be lifted before negotiations start and that the war should end on all fronts?"
Pressure on Iran
The standoff comes as Iran faces mounting economic pressure. The US has launched a task force, known as Iron Gate, to block Iran's land supply routes, while ordinary Iranians face rising food prices, joblessness and a weak currency, according to Al Jazeera.
Sources
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Andaleb YounsAndaleb Youns is a writer, researcher and literature enthusiast with a passion for storytelling and meaningful content.
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