Iran sets rider for Hormuz reopening

DUBAI/TEHRAN — Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, vital to the world economy, until the United States met Tehran's conditions set out the day before.

Iran tightened its grip on the strait on Feb 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes.

In June, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on ending the conflict on all fronts. The two sides were scheduled to hold negotiations within a 60-day period to reach a final agreement, but the recent escalation in the region has left the talks' fate uncertain.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said discussions with Oman over transit and management of the strait were "approaching the final stages", but added that the reopening of Hormuz "is subject to other conditions and compensation for the violation" of the June agreement.

Security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr on Saturday laid out a list of demands for reopening the strait, including an end to the "war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq".

He also demanded the lifting of a parallel US naval blockade of Iran, the end of sanctions, the release of frozen assets and compensation for wartime damage, according to remarks reported by Tasnim News Agency.

Araghchi said on Sunday that Iran and the US are not engaged in talks and Tehran will not start them as long as Washington breaches the interim deal signed in June, adding that messages are being exchanged via intermediaries.

Meanwhile, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian met and held talks with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Mehr News Agency reported on Sunday.

During the meeting, they exchanged views on the country's issues and problems. They also discussed issues including the current conditions of the conflict and the future ahead, according to the report.

Top US general Dan Caine has, over the last few weeks, privately told other top advisers to President Donald Trump that Washington needs to find an off-ramp from the war with Iran, CNN reported.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman made the suggestion because "military options on the table to escalate the conflict could backfire," and airpower alone is unlikely to achieve Trump's stated objectives, the report said, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthis said they had attacked Saudi Aramco's Jazan refinery on Sunday, two days after the kingdom signed a defense pact with Turkiye and Pakistan.

The Saudi energy ministry said a fire had broken out at the refinery that was later extinguished, without saying what caused the fire. It said the relevant authorities were completing procedures to deal with the incident at the refinery, which processes 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day in southwestern Saudi Arabia. No injuries were reported, it added.

The Houthis targeted the refinery with a drone, military spokesman Yahya Saree posted on X. They had struck Aramco sites before in Jazan and Yanbu on the Red Sea.

The Houthis declared a naval blockade against the kingdom in the Red Sea last month in response to what they described as a Saudi siege of Yemen, an allegation Riyadh denies.

Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday he expected Egypt to join a joint defense agreement between Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan designed to stabilize the region, calling the country a "natural partner on all issues".

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