Key facts
- Iran has given the US four to five days to respond to its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
- Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the supreme national security council, stated the US must act first and fulfill seven conditions completely and all at once.
- UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New York.
- Araghchi presented seven preconditions to US special envoy Steve Witkoff, including the lifting of US sanctions and an end to conflict.
- Maj Gen Rahim Safavi warned that if the US starts a new war, a new front centered on the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab strait may open.
Iran has issued a four-to-five-day ultimatum to the United States to meet its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to senior Iranian security officials. The deadline was specified by Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of the supreme national security council, in a TV interview on Wednesday evening.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband met his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in New York for the first time in a year. Araghchi and the US special envoy Steve Witkoff had also met earlier in the week to discuss Iran's terms for reopening the vital waterway.
Rezaei stated that Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and Araghchi had conveyed Iran's internally agreed terms, emphasizing that no new conditions would be added or removed. He stressed that "talk is enough. Negotiations are enough. Now we must act," warning that if the US did not fulfill the conditions, the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed and no further negotiations would take place.
The seven conditions must be implemented "completely and all at once," Rezaei added, and Iran would determine its "next step" after the deadline, though he did not specify what that would entail. A faction within Iran is reportedly arguing for escalating the conflict with the US.
Miliband conveyed the UK's commitment to freedom of navigation in the strait and stressed support for Saudi Arabia. He also raised concerns about Iran's behavior in the UK and called for consular access to two British citizens sentenced to 10 years in prison in Tehran.
European diplomats have not perceived a significant breakthrough in the New York talks. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also downplayed the significance of the Witkoff-Araghchi discussions. Araghchi reportedly outlined the seven preconditions, including the lifting of US sanctions and an end to hostilities, largely through a Qatari mediator.
Some IRGC officers have linked the Strait of Hormuz issue to the closure of the Bab al-Mandab strait. Maj Gen Rahim Safavi warned that a new US war could open a new front in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab strait.
Domestically, President Pezeshkian's UN speech was seen as a success for balancing defiance against the "US bully" with a willingness for diplomatic talks. He also proposed a new security architecture with Gulf states. Maj Gen Ahmad Vahidi praised the speech, stating, "We are not afraid of war."