Tehran's formal reply to Washington's response on the seven conditions tied to Strait of Hormuz access was received without approval. Unresolved sticking points on the part of negotiators from Tehran leave the trajectory of talks — and with them the outlook for a waterway that moves a substantial share of the world's energy supplies — without a clear resolution.
Rezaei, who leads Iran's Supreme National Security Council, described the reply from Washington as falling short of what was needed. He contended that any forward movement in the negotiations depended on Washington first setting out where it stood on the disputed matters yet to be resolved. In remarks attributed to Rezaei, the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed, he indicated, for as long as the conditions put forward by his side had not been satisfied.
The waterway channels roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas volumes, meaning any disruption tied to Tehran's position carries measurable consequences for energy supply chains worldwide.
Tensions have continued to mount in the wake of armed operations carried out by the United States and Israel against Iran, which got under way in late February. Qatar-based intermediaries carried the response forward, their channel between the two parties having remained open throughout the period when efforts to end the fighting and restore maritime passage were under way.
Iranian-side accounts describe the proposal put forward by Washington as an effort to restore confidence between the parties and revive a prior short-lived arrangement that had paused tensions over both Hormuz Strait navigation and Tehran's nuclear activities. Those with knowledge of the negotiations indicated that the dispute turns on sequencing — which steps get taken first — rather than any disagreement over what the deal itself contains.
Negotiations have reached no resolution, with certain terms understood to have gained acceptance while the status of others has yet to be clarified. Nuclear talks tied to the Hormuz Strait reopening effort will not include any component addressing Tehran's atomic programme, according to the position Iran has put forward. Waterway security along the strategic passage, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghaei told reporters, sits at the top of Tehran's agenda — a separate matter, in his view, from any renewed nuclear dialogue with Washington.
Araghchi conveyed that Tehran stands ready to respond through armed means should diplomatic channels break down. In a meeting with foreign diplomats gathered in Tehran, he outlined that position — expressing a preference for negotiations while noting that a return to hostilities would be met with a military response.
Plans to extend the country's ballistic reach were laid out by military spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia, who also conveyed that armed forces stood prepared for potential conflict.
Statements from Trump on the possibility of US engagement alongside Saudi Arabia in its operations against the Houthi movement in Yemen have added a further layer of complexity to an already fraught regional picture. Drone and missile strikes on Saudi airport facilities, attributed to Houthi forces, left casualties in their wake, prompting Trump to indicate that the United States was open to joining military efforts already under way in the region.
