Iran's spokesman has pushed back on Western pressure language, confirmed Iran and Oman will jointly manage Hormuz's future, and said the focus is on ending the war, not discussing uranium enrichment details.
Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has delivered a pointed rejection of Western ultimatum language directed at Tehran, declared the US naval blockade unlawful from its inception, and confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz has been operating under Iranian special measures since March 1.
Speaking in an interview with IRIB, Baghaei categorically rejected any "should and must" language from Western parties toward Iran, stating, "The Islamic Republic of Iran makes decisions based on the interests and rights of its own nation."
Addressing the US naval blockade, Baghaei was precise in his legal framing. He described the blockade as illegal from the very start — a violation of the ceasefire and a disruption to freedom of navigation. He then made a key distinction regarding any potential American pullback: "If the Americans act on lifting these threats, they are in fact merely stopping an unlawful act they should never have committed in the first place."
The formulation deliberately strips any potential US withdrawal of the blockade of diplomatic credit, framing it not as a concession to Iran but as a belated return to legal compliance.
Baghaei confirmed that since March 1, the date following the US-Israeli attack, the Strait of Hormuz has been operating under Iran's special measures, with commercial vessels transiting only after coordination with Iranian authorities. He underscored the role of the coastal states, Iran and Oman, in managing the waterway's future, saying both countries have adopted a responsible approach to preserving security and national interests while providing assurances to the international community on safe maritime transit.
"Iran and Oman will establish mechanisms that guarantee both national security and the safety of global shipping," he said.
Responding to questions about Trump's statements regarding the elimination of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile, Baghaei said, "At this stage, our focus is on ending the war, and we have nothing to say about details related to enrichment and Iran's enriched uranium.
He closed by noting that the experience of the recent special conditions cannot be ignored, and that whatever mechanisms Iran and Oman establish will be designed to serve both their national security and the safety of international shipping simultaneously.
