The Strait of Hormuz will “never return” to its pre-war status, Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Al Jazeera on Wednesday, as the administration of the world’s most critical maritime oil chokepoint changes fundamentally.
Ghalibaf, who also serves as Iran’s parliament speaker, asserted that the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea does not apply to the waterway. He maintained that the strait is governed exclusively by the laws of the two littoral states bordering it, effectively dismissing the concept of “free waters” in the region.
The declaration arrives as Tehran awaits an official response from the United States regarding a seven-point proposal to end the eight-month conflict. Ghalibaf said that Iran and Oman have reached an understanding to oversee the waterway as part of this broader peace framework. “The ball is now in the American court,” he told Al Jazeera.
The conditions for peace, as outlined by Ghalibaf, include lifting the U.S.-imposed naval blockade and sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian funds, an end to hostilities on all fronts, and an explicit declaration that the war has concluded. These demands mirror the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed in June, which Tehran insists must be implemented before formal negotiations with Washington can proceed.
Competing Mediation Efforts Fracture Diplomatic Landscape
While Tehran pushes for its seven-point plan, the diplomatic landscape remains fractured by competing mediation efforts. On November 6, Qatar submitted a separate two-stage plan, according to the Latin Times.
This proposal suggests that Iran invite International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to its nuclear sites on the first day, followed by the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on the second day in exchange for the U.S. lifting its naval blockade and releasing a portion of frozen assets.
The U.S. administration remains hesitant to decouple the maritime crisis from the nuclear file. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has maintained that any durable agreement must address Iran’s nuclear program as a package deal rather than a deferred afterthought, the Guardian reported. Rubio recently said that while President Donald Trump favors a diplomatic solution, Iranian demands remain a significant obstacle to a breakthrough, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The financial stakes are substantial. Reports indicate that an $8 billion figure in frozen Iranian funds is currently anchoring the negotiation efforts, a detail Israel Hayom reported. Meanwhile, the economic impact of the closure continues to mount; in October, approximately 42% of the 10.23 million barrels of Gulf crude passing through the region were destined for China, with 13% heading to India, the Guardian noted.
Shifting Maritime Security Dynamics
Ghalibaf warned that Iran is determined to move beyond a state of “no war and no peace,” emphasizing the need for sustainable military deterrence.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) recently reported that two oil tankers attempting to use an unauthorized route in the eastern sector of the strait collided with mines and caught fire, alleging the vessels were operating with the support of U.S. military forces, the Guardian reported. The U.S. has dismissed Iranian efforts to restrict land trade as a diversionary tactic following recent political developments in Washington.
Regarding broader regional conflicts, Ghalibaf said that Iran would offer assistance to resolve the fighting in Yemen if requested by both the government and Saudi Arabia. He cautioned, however, that “no one should interfere” in the internal affairs of the conflict.
As the standoff enters its tenth month, the lack of trust between Tehran and Washington remains the primary friction point. “If America limits itself to what has been agreed upon without making excessive demands or engaging in behaviour that breeds distrust, then, naturally, reaching an agreement is possible,” Ghalibaf told Al Jazeera. “What stands in the way of an agreement is our lack of trust in the United States.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei reinforced this stance during a recent press conference, asking, “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?” the Jerusalem Post reported.
Whether the White House sessions produce a framework both sides can accept or merely confirm the existing deadlock will determine the status of the waterway before the year concludes.
