Tehran: Iran said on Tuesday that the United States lacks the authority to “dictate” policies to sovereign states, even as Washington assesses Tehran’s newest initiative to restore passage through the Strait of Hormuz — a key corridor for international energy transport.
The statement comes against a backdrop of accelerated diplomacy to mitigate the protracted conflict’s disruptions to global shipping pathways, AFP reported.
Iran has upheld a virtual shutdown of the crucial seaway from the initial phase of its confrontation with the United States and Israel, triggering instability across world energy sectors and positioning the strait as a key element in ceasefire and settlement negotiations.
“The Uni
ted States is no longer in a position to dictate its policy to independent nations,” defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik remarked on state TV, insisting that Washington would “accept that it must abandon its illegal and irrational demands.”
A ceasefire may have interrupted open clashes among Iran, the United States, and Israel, but in-depth talks for a definitive resolution continue to falter, bogged down by disagreements on sea access and comprehensive safeguards for regional peace.
The plan now on the table in Washington allegedly promises to revive the Strait of Hormuz — responsible for nearly 20% of worldwide oil flows and a major share of liquefied natural gas — as negotiations proceed on the war’s underlying issues and its widespread economic repercussions.
In remarks prior to a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers’ conference, Talaei-Nik stated that Iran was “ready to share its defensive military capabilities with independent countries, especially the member states” of the SCO, indicating Tehran’s willingness to fortify coalitions within a transforming world order.