Iran vows to protect its nuclear capabilities, signals ‘new rules’ for Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that the country would “safeguard” its “nuclear and missile” capabilities and lay down new rules for managing the Strait of Hormuz, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said a blockade of Iranian ports would remain until a nuclear deal is reached.

“Two months in, the U.S. war on Iran is still top news on our front page, though it has now become a battle of wills, marked by fiery rhetoric, a double blockade in the Strait driving oil prices to a four-year high, and diplomatic stalemate,” says Suresh Nambath, Editor, The Hindu. “The defiant remarks by both U.S. and Iranian leaders come on the eve of the 60-day deadline for Mr. Trump to seek authorization from the U.S. Congress for his military action, although U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth argued that the ‘60-day clock pauses, or stops, in a ceasefire’.”

“A new chapter for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz is taking shape,” Mr. Khamenei said in a statement, marking Persian Gulf Day. “The Islamic Republic will secure the Persian Gulf region and dismantle the enemies’ exploitative schemes in this waterway. The legal frameworks and implementation of new management for the strait will bring peace and progress to the benefit of all the region’s nations,” he said.

The war on Iran, launched by the U.S. and Israel, has turned into a maritime battle of wills after Mr. Trump announced a ceasefire on April 8. While the ceasefire is still holding, Iran’s chokehold of the strait, the mouth of the oil-rich Persian Gulf, remains intact. The U.S. has imposed a blockade on Iran-linked vessels in the Gulf of Oman to exert economic pressure on Tehran.

Last week, U.S. media reported that Iran made a proposal to the U.S. via Pakistan promising to ease its control of the strait in return for the U.S. lifting its blockade. Iran said it would discuss outstanding issues, including the nuclear programme, in the second round.

Mr. Trump, in an interview, said on Wednesday, April 29, that he wanted a deal from Iran addressing America’s core concerns, including the nuclear issue. “The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing… They want to settle. They don’t want me to keep the blockade. I don’t want to [lift the blockade], because I don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.