Iran’s top negotiator and Parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has been speaking to state media on the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the US.
He said Iran will continue to assert sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the MoU only provides a temporary 60-day exemption from fees for maritime services in the waterway.
“These are our territorial waters,” Ghalibaf said, according to the Press TV website. “We will not allow the United States to create controversy or sophistry by claiming that Iran has militarized the Strait of Hormuz.”
He added that Iran “will never, under any circumstances, retreat from this position”.
Ghalibaf described the waterway as “a divine gift that God granted us during this war” and “our greatest instrument of power”.
The top Iranian negotiator has also defended Tehran’s decision to hold talks with the US in his wide-ranging interview with state media.
Ghalibaf described the lifting of the US’s naval blockade on Iran as evidence that diplomacy, backed by military action, can produce tangible results.He said Iran has exported more than 40 million barrels of oil in less than two weeks following the lifting of the blockade.But Iran’s only genuine guarantee is its military power, he said, and therefore, its missile programme and military capabilities, were “absolutely non-negotiable”.Nor will Iran give up its nuclear rights, he said, adding: “Uranium enrichment is our legitimate and inalienable right.”Ghalibaf went on to note that the 60-day period in the MoU to reach a final deal can be extended, saying talks will continue until all primary and secondary sanctions imposed by the US and United Nations Security Council are removed.Ghalibaf says “Iran and Oman have already reached agreement on all legal and service-related matters” on the administration of maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz.He said negotiations with the US will not progress until five clauses of the MoU are implemented, including a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, securing Iranian oil exports and the release of frozen Iranian assets.He noted Iran, US and Lebanon have agreed to establish a “de-confliction cell” and says Tehran and Washington have now appointed representatives. Beirut is expected to do the same before the cell becomes operational.He also argued the Iran-US MoU seeks to preserve Lebanon’s independence, while the separate US-brokered framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel seeks to guarantee Israeli security.
