Iran says Hormuz will stay shut until US lifts oil sanctions

Iran's parliament speaker has said the Strait of Hormuz "would not reopen until the United States implemented commitments," including the lifting of oil sanctions and the release of blocked assets, in a speech to parliament reported by state media on August 18.

Ghalibaf's latest speech point to Tehran putting further pressure on the US and Persian Gulf Arab countries who rely heavily on the narrow waterway for imports and exports, as leverage in its several-month stand-off with Washington, months after a war with the US and Israel. About a fifth of global oil consumption passes through the strait, and any prolonged disruption to traffic there would ripple through energy markets and shipping.

The official said the Hormuz would stay closed until the US enacted its obligations under an accord Ghalibaf referred to as the Islamabad memorandum, including ending a blockade, freeing frozen funds, lifting oil sanctions and halting military operations, he said.

He accused Washington of quickly reneging on the agreement to recover from what he described as a political defeat. Washington has yet to respond to the Iranian official's comments. 

Ghalibaf said the ceasefire had "allowed Iran to strengthen economic resilience" and rebuild its defensive capacity, adding that the country was prepared to inflict heavier losses on any renewed aggression.

The speaker said the adversary was now seeking to apply economic pressure and undermine domestic cohesion, and warned that any person or body weakening national unity was, "knowingly or not, serving the enemy."

Despite Iran's claims of controlling the Hormuz, US CENTCOM said that as of August 17 its forces had redirected 64 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two to ensure compliance with its control of the waterway, according to a Defence Department statement.

On the political track between Tehran and Washington, the deadline to end the war between Iran and the US expired on August 17, with Trump threatening to bomb Oman, which has been acting as intermediary and is a US ally.

In an audience with reporters on August 17, Trump was asked by a BBC reporter if he was seeking an extension to the MoU, he replied: "No," before threatening to hit Oman if it struck a deal with Iran over the control and income derived from the Strait. 

The broader US position over recent days has hardened. Trump said the United States had swept the Strait of Hormuz for mines and claimed the US Navy had “full control” of the waterway, insisting "It's open now".

He also said he would require compensation from Iran as a condition for talks, requirements that appeared to diminish prospects for a quick deal despite optimism the previous week that an agreement was near.

Separately, the US imposed its eighth round of sanctions on Iran this year, which Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran would not buckle under.