Hormuz Strait will not revert to pre-war conditions, Iranian lawmaker says

The Strait of Hormuz will not revert to pre-war conditions, a senior Iranian lawmaker said Sunday amid Iranian restrictions on shipping in the strategic waterway and a US blockade on Iranian ports.

“We will by no means return the Strait of Hormuz to its previous state, because this is an order from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution,” Ali Nikzad, second deputy speaker of the Iranian parliament, told the semi-official Mehr News Agency.

“Didn’t (US President Donald) Trump, after bombing Fordo and Natanz, say that everything had been destroyed and Iran no longer had a nuclear program? Yet now he says he will not accept Iran having nuclear capability.

“Who is Trump in the world to decide this?” he asked, referring to earlier remarks by the US president.

Since the war initiated by the US and Israel against Iran began on Feb. 28, Tehran has maintained control of the Strait of Hormuz, followed by an American naval blockade on April 13, hitting global energy supplies, mostly across Asia.

Washington and Tehran held talks in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, two weeks ago but failed to reach an agreement to end the conflict.

The negotiations came after Pakistan brokered a two-week ceasefire on April 8, which was later extended by Trump.

Though efforts for another round of talks are underway, some of the sticking points are said to be the Strait of Hormuz, the US blockade of Iranian ports, and Iran’s enriched uranium.