Iran’s Fars — Trump’s Hormuz Reopening Claim “Inconsistent With Reality”
Iran’s Fars news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, reported early on Sunday that the emerging agreement would allow Iran to manage the Strait of Hormuz, and that Trump’s assertion the strait would be reopened was “inconsistent with reality”. Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Saturday that the strait “does not concern” the United States and that Iran and Oman should define a mechanism for the waterway as coastal states. Tasnim News Agency, also IRGC-affiliated, reported that Iran has demanded the strait not return to its pre-war mechanism and “legal regime”, and that negotiations will not proceed while the US naval blockade remains in place.
The Iranian state-media pushback frames the most consequential split in the emerging deal: Trump claims the strait will be reopened; Iran is briefing that the strait will continue to be Iran-managed. Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that Iranian sovereignty over the strait is more important to Tehran than securing fees from merchant vessels. IRGC-affiliated Fars News separately said Iran will only commit to restoring the number of vessels that transit the strait to pre-war levels, while Iran would determine which vessels receive approval and what route they must take. The IRGC Navy reported on 23 May that 25 vessels crossed the strait in the past 24 hours after receiving permission and transiting under IRGC Navy coordination and security provision.