Iran state media claims Tehran won’t cede control of Hormuz under MOU with US

Iran’s state media claims that under a draft agreement with the United States, Tehran would not give up control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

“Iran makes no commitment in this text to cede the management of the strait or the restoration of conditions that existed prior to the American and Israeli military aggression,” according to the official IRNA news agency, which referred to “the broad outlines of the current text” being finalized.

Traffic through Hormuz, a vital global shipping route, has come under Iranian control since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel on February 28.

Iran, which has only allowed a trickle of ships to pass through the strait, has insisted that vessels obtain permission from its armed forces before transiting.

US President Donald Trump, in announcing a near-final deal with Iran yesterday, said the memorandum of understanding would immediately and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though he didn’t touch on who would be controlling the channel

Iran’s Mehr news agency says the draft underscores the necessity for the US and its allies to pay Iran reparations for damage caused by the war and “to present reconstruction plans for Iran amounting to at least $300 billion”.

“Final negotiations will not begin before the release of half of Iran’s blocked funds, suspension of Iran’s oil sanctions, and lifting of the naval blockade,” it adds.

Iran’s nuclear program has been a contentious issue for Washington, which has long insisted Tehran should give up its enrichment capabilities and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium abroad.

The official IRNA news agency, in a separate report, said Iran would “negotiate only the nuclear program solely within the framework of the Islamic Republic’s fundamental principles.”

“Issues such as Iran’s right to enrich uranium and the retention of enriched material by the Islamic Republic of Iran will be emphasised with a view to their inclusion in the final agreement,” it said.

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