Iran demanded the withdrawal of U.S. forces, compensation for war damage, and the lifting of sanctions against Iran as conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
On the 8th (local time), according to the New York Times (NYT) and others, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary-general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, issued a statement through Iranian state media that set out six demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. He said, "The Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened until the United States corrects its behavior."
Iran first demanded that the United States lift the maritime blockade and sanctions against Iran and withdraw forces, including naval and air units, deployed around Iran. It also urged the United States to compensate for damage caused by what it called an "aggressive war," and to lift, without any conditions, the sanctions against Iran and the restrictions on Iran's frozen asset.
Iran also demanded a permanent halt to war and military attacks against not only Iran but also Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq, where its allied forces are present. It further argued that Iran must not be threatened again in any way and that religious and national values revered by the Iranian people must not be insulted.
This is a tougher stance than the previous memorandum of understanding (MOU) for ending the war agreed upon by the United States and Iran. The existing MOU said the United States would end sanctions against Iran in line with the timeline of a final nuclear deal, but this time Iran set the lifting of sanctions as a precondition for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement came as Iran and Oman, which borders the Strait of Hormuz, were discussing ways to resume passage through the strait. While saying that talks with Oman were very close to an agreement, Iran is also claiming that whether the strait is actually reopened depends on the U.S. response.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with Fox News that the United States is currently involved in the talks, calling the situation "the middle of the game." He added, "We are discussing safe passage for ships with Gulf countries," but also said, "Normalizing passage requires first clearing the large number of mines Iran laid in the early days of the war and reorganizing the maritime traffic system."