In his statement, Rezaei added that "maps of the new international corridor located in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, under Iranian management, have been agreed upon and can be signed in the coming days". He conditioned the arrangement on American behavior, emphasizing that "we will commit to opening the Strait of Hormuz only when the Americans stop sabotage, threats and attacks on Iran".
The Iranian move follows renewed military escalation in the Gulf after oil tankers were damaged in reciprocal attacks over the weekend. The incidents drove up global oil prices and caused a sharp drop in ship traffic through the strait in the hours before the announcement.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran's parliament, issued a warning to Washington, saying that "from today forward, any attack against Iran's interests and security will receive a faster, heavier and more painful response".
Meanwhile, Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh dismissed economic pressure, stating: "They talk about economic pressure and isolation, about cutting financial ties, and think that by pressuring a country's economy they can change the decisions of its people. I must clarify one point: responsibility for reforming Iran's economy belongs to its government and people, not to the U.S. Treasury Department".
On the American side, officials emphasized that maritime passage remains substantially operational.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright claimed that "our passages through the strait currently average more than 9 million barrels per day, and together with access pipelines that bypass the strait, we are probably at two-thirds or more of pre-disruption flow. So the Iranians are still making trouble, but the U.S. Navy is winning this battle".
