Photo: Iranian MFA

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 4. Iran has stated that it is currently focusing its attention on the issue concerning the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said today at a press conference in Tehran.

“The security of the Strait of Hormuz and restoring security to the strait depend on the United States taking certain steps, including not obstructing Iran’s maritime trade, halting the imposition of sanctions, and resolving other issues,” he said.

Baghaei said that Iran has stated its position regarding the implementation of the issues outlined in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, as well as provisions added over the past several months, and the lifting of sanctions imposed by the United States.

The Foreign Ministry official said that, overall, the proposal presented to Iran by the United States reflects its previous position and mainly concerns the nuclear issue. The U.S. position was conveyed to the Iranian side through Qatari mediation. At that meeting, Iran’s position was conveyed in response. The Iranian side is conducting the necessary review of some details, and once finalized, they will be conveyed to the other side.

The latest escalation in U.S.-Iran relations began on July 8. On that day, the U.S. Armed Forces launched several waves of strikes against Iranian territory, claiming they were in response to an attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, for the first time since the memorandum was signed between Washington and Tehran. On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the termination of the ceasefire with Iran. In response, Tehran began launching strikes against U.S. facilities located in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Oman. As a result of the conflict, maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz was brought to a standstill.