Iran warns US blockade of ports must end if Strait of Hormuz is to stay open

[0:00] Well, Iran says it's reopened the Strait of Hormuz, but insists the United States [0:04] must end its naval blockade for it to remain open. [0:08] Its closure by Iran has choked global energy supplies for weeks now. [0:13] President Donald Trump insists the blockade on Iranian vessels and ports will remain [0:17] and will be only lifted the moment a peace deal is reached. [0:22] In the past few hours, he says there has been, quote, [0:24] some pretty good news regarding Iran, but added that he may not extend the ceasefire [0:29] unless there's a deal by Wednesday. Listen. [0:31] We're going to be knowing very shortly, but we're talking over it. [0:36] I expect things to go well. Many of these things have been negotiated and agreed to. [0:40] Sir, what was the good news that you had 20 minutes ago? [0:43] Having to do with Iran. [0:44] Can you tell us anything about Iran? [0:45] No, but you'll hear about it. [0:47] I just think it's something that should happen. [0:50] It's something that only makes sense to happen. [0:53] And I think it will. We'll see what happens, but I think it will. [0:56] Have you agreed to sanctions really earlier that everything has been agreed since? [0:59] No, we haven't. [1:00] No, none? [1:00] You told me earlier that everything has been agreed to. [1:03] Iran was saying something different. [1:05] So what has been worked out? [1:07] Well, he's got to say something different because, you know, they have, [1:10] well, that they have to cater to also. [1:13] I really don't. I'm just doing the thing that's right. [1:15] I'm just saying it like it is. [1:17] We have a situation, I think, that is going to be very beneficial. [1:21] And the main thing is that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. [1:24] Well, Iran's chief negotiator, the Speaker of Parliament, Mohamed Baghargali-Baf, [1:29] says the U.S. blockade renders the strait closed. [1:32] He says ships can only pass through a designated route and with Iran's authorization. [1:38] There have also been mixed messages regarding the future of the more than 400 kilograms of Iran's enriched nuclear material. [1:45] Trump declared that the U.S. will get it. [1:47] But Iran has rejected that idea outright. [1:51] Washington and Tehran could be heading for a second round of talks, possibly within the coming days. [1:57] Trump claims a deal is mostly complete. [1:59] But an Iranian source has told Al Jazeera that negotiations are still at a very early stage [2:04] and the next step will be agreeing on a framework for negotiations, not a final agreement. [2:12] All right, let's take a closer look at the post by Mohamed Baghargali-Baf. [2:15] That's the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and, of course, a key player in the negotiations with the United States. [2:20] So this is what he posted on X. [2:22] He wrote, [2:22] The President of the United States made seven claims in one hour, all seven of which were false. [2:27] They didn't win the war with these lies, and they certainly, or they will certainly not get anywhere in negotiations either. [2:33] With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open. [2:37] Passage through the strait will be conducted based on the designated route and with Iranian authorization. [2:43] Whether the strait is open or closed and the regulations governing it will be determined by the field, not by social media. [2:51] All right, let's bring in Tawheed Asadi, who joins us now from Tehran. [2:54] So, Tawheed, help us understand the status of the strait right now. [2:57] Because on the one hand, you have Donald Trump saying that it is open. [3:01] You have the Speaker there saying that it's closed if the blockade remains in place. [3:06] You have other voices inside Iran saying, look, it's open for some vessels if they get the permission, if they go through the route. [3:14] Is the strait open or closed? [3:16] And for whom is it open? [3:20] Well, actually, we have to keep in mind that we are dealing with a very complex situation, not only when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, [3:28] but also when it comes to the entirety of the negotiations ahead. [3:33] And we know that related to the Strait of Hormuz, there are other actors and factors. [3:38] So, this is not just simply opening or closing the strait. [3:42] We know that Iranians are using it as a sort of pressure point, as a sort of leverage, [3:48] when it comes to the trajectory of diplomatic engagement down the road, [3:52] while we are potentially expecting a next round of talks. [3:55] Iran previously said that opening of the Strait of Hormuz is going to be conditioned upon the ceasefire in Lebanon. [4:03] And obviously, we've got it from the foreign minister of the country, Abbas Araqshe, talking about the reopening of that. [4:10] Still, we know that reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is a very controversial issue. [4:15] We know that several arguments, several sticking points, again, interrelated, are out there. [4:21] Iranians, and according to the ex-post on the Abbas Araqshe's account, are talking about opening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels. [4:31] Previously, they said that it's going to be open for everyone, but not our adversaries. [4:37] Right now, we are waiting to see whether Iranians are going to give a green light to ships and vessels affiliated with the Americans, [4:44] or other parties affiliated with the United States, and that is obviously a crucial point. [4:51] Added to that, also speaking of to whom it's open and to whom it's closed, [4:56] we've got it after the announcement of Abbas Araqshe that it's from a military source talking to the state TV, [5:03] saying that this is not going to be open for vessels, for non-civilian vessels. [5:11] It's going to be closed to, actually, military ships and vessels. [5:15] Also, we know that Abbas Araqshe is saying it's going to be open for the remaining days of ceasefire, [5:22] and we already know that there are a couple of, I would say, around four days remaining to the end of ceasefire. [5:28] So, in these four days, we are waiting to see whether they can go through the diplomatic engagement. [5:34] And obviously, Iran is talking about coordinated routes, and that is something that we heard both from foreign minister and military side of the story. [5:45] They're saying that ships planning to go through this strategically significant choke point should go first with the coordination of the Iranian side, [5:55] and, second, within the pathway that Iran has announced, and that is something that the other day we heard from IRGC2 depicting a new pathway, [6:06] which is quite close to Iranian costs. [6:09] So, Tawheed, the president said not long ago aboard Air Force One, he said, with respect to the ceasefire, [6:14] he said, maybe I won't extend it so you have a blockade, and unfortunately, we have to start dropping bombs again. [6:18] I think it's going to happen. [6:20] Is there appetite inside of Iran to extend that ceasefire? [6:23] Well, we heard from the deputy foreign minister before the announcement of the actually opening of the Strait of Hormuz by the foreign minister [6:36] that Iran is not interested in extension of the ceasefire. [6:40] They are willing, they're willing, basically, is on the basis of solving the issues within a comprehensive package. [6:48] And, again, this is very unprecedented, [6:50] because previously we know that all the talks between the United States and Iran were all concentrated upon the nuclear dossier. [6:59] And now we have a full package of different demands. [7:03] And if you just compare the proposal by the Iranians with that of the Americans, [7:08] you can see that the sticking points are out there not only related to the Strait of Hormuz, [7:13] but also when it comes to the nuclear dossier of the country, [7:17] when it comes to the security assurances that Iran is looking for. [7:21] And on that, Tehran says it doesn't want to be trapped in a vicious circle of war, peace. [7:28] And, again, war, they're looking for a long-lasting peace and guarantees to make sure that this is going to happen. [7:34] And also, when it comes to the frozen assets, when it comes to ballistic missiles, [7:39] when it comes to war reparation, when it comes to Iran's regional relations, [7:45] all these are some layers of complexity added to this already intricate situation. [7:50] And added to that also are two actually contextual elements that we have to keep in mind. [7:57] First, there is this lack of trust, whether it's going to be a deal at the end of the days [8:03] through the trajectory of negotiation or not. [8:06] And that's coming from, obviously, two rounds of talks that Iranians were engaged. [8:12] So instead of becoming too pessimistic or too optimistic, [8:15] Iranians are practicing a cautiously calibrated pragmatism in that regard. [8:21] They are not sure whether this time again there is going to be some element of surprise [8:26] or negotiation could, at the end of the day, result in a sort of peace agreement, [8:31] a long-lasting one. [8:32] And last but not least, we are dealing with a simultaneous parallel rhetoric of war [8:41] and confrontation from all the parties, including the United States, the Israeli side, [8:46] and the Iranian side. [8:47] The same day they announced the opening of Strait of Pormos, [8:50] IRGC came out with another statement saying that there is a full preparation [8:55] for another round of confrontation should negotiations fail. [8:59] Everybody hoping for a deal. [9:01] But, of course, both sides making very clear they are still prepared to go back to war. [9:06] All right, Tawheed Asadi for us there in Tehran. [9:09] Thank you. [9:09] Thank you.