Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has declared that the United States must honor its commitments under an Islamabad memorandum of understanding before Tehran will consider a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking on Wednesday during a meeting with senior Hamas official Basem Naim in Tehran, Ghalibaf emphasized that while Iran does not reject the path of diplomacy, it views such negotiations as a component of a larger struggle against the United States and Israel.
Ghalibaf argued that abandoning confrontation with Washington and Israel in its various forms would be equivalent to defeat. He specifically referenced the Islamabad memorandum, noting that its primary provision mandated an end to the war against Iran and its allies, which Tehran refers to as the “resistance front.” According to Ghalibaf, Washington had initially put forward a 15-point proposal that sought to terminate Iran’s nuclear and missile activities, as well as its support for allied groups across the region.
The Strait of Hormuz, which acts as a vital corridor for global energy shipments by connecting the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, remains a central point of contention. Iran and the United States signed the memorandum in Islamabad on June 18, following mediation efforts by Qatar and Pakistan. The agreement was intended to address the cessation of hostilities, maritime navigation, and ongoing negotiations between the two nations.
Iranian officials have repeatedly accused Washington of failing to adhere to the terms of that agreement. Consequently, Tehran has maintained navigation restrictions in the waterway, conditioning any full reopening on sanctions relief, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and an end to military operations targeting Iran and its regional allies. In late August, Iranian officials confirmed they were in discussions with Oman regarding maritime transit arrangements, though they stressed these talks do not constitute a full reopening of the strait.
