Iran Vows Indefinite Hormuz Closure Until US Yields
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei declared that the time for negotiations has ended, warning that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed indefinitely until the United States meets Tehran’s demands.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Major General Mohsen Rezaei announced on Wednesday that diplomatic negotiations with Washington have reached a dead end, warning that the vital Strait of Hormuz will remain shut indefinitely until the United States fully capitulates to Tehran’s strategic demands. Speaking in an interview broadcast on state television network IRIB, Rezaei signaled a sharp transition away from diplomatic compromises, declaring that "the time for negotiations is over, it’s time for action" and warning that no further talks will occur unless Washington meets Iran's core conditions. Addressing United States President Donald Trump directly, the Iranian security chief cautioned against delaying concessions, stating: "I advise Trump: Don't waste time, just submit to our demands". The remarks come amid conflicting rhetoric from Washington, where Trump had recently claimed that Tehran was under severe pressure and actively seeking an immediate agreement. Iranian leadership, however, dismissed those statements as domestic political posturing, insisting that the operational reality in the Persian Gulf has permanently altered the balance of power and that Tehran will not be coerced into concessions. The ultimatum follows weeks of diplomatic paralysis surrounding maritime transit through the narrow strategic chokepoint. A previous bilateral arrangement negotiated between Iran and Oman to establish regulated commercial corridors collapsed after regional partners raised objections, followed by the postponement of multilateral foreign ministerial talks in Muscat. Concurrently, the United States military has maintained an aggressive naval counter-blockade against Iranian marine terminals, interdicting and redirecting commercial traffic while conducting kinetic strikes against coastal anti-ship missile positions and launch networks along Iranian shores.Tehran’s stated terms for lifting the closure of Hormuz represent an expansive package that extends well beyond local maritime navigation. Senior Iranian officials, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, have communicated through regional intermediaries that reopening the waterway requires an unconditional end to U.S. military strikes against Iranian territory, the immediate lifting of American naval blockades on Iranian ports, the unfreezing of tens of billions of dollars in foreign assets, and a comprehensive cessation of military hostilities across all regional theaters, including Lebanon, Yemen, and Gaza. By formally codifying the indefinite closure of the Strait of Hormuz into its broader military doctrine, Tehran has converted the world's most critical energy artery into an asymmetric lever of geopolitical deterrence. The closure, occurring alongside simultaneous Houthi territorial gains near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the southern Red Sea, has placed unprecedented structural strain on international energy supply lines. With Brent crude trading above $100 per barrel and global shipping rerouting around southern Africa, the threat of an indefinite closure significantly raises the stakes of the conflict, confronting Washington and its regional allies with a choice between military escalation or conceding to Tehran's demands.