Iran Calls US Response on Hormuz Conditions Insufficient as Blockade Holds

TEHRAN, Oct. 12 — Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei said the United States' response to Tehran's seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz was insufficient, and that Iran is no longer in the process of responding to Washington.

Rezaei stated that the US had accepted some of the conditions while others remained unclear. Iran conveyed the seven points roughly two weeks earlier through mediators including Qatar, Pakistan and Iraq. Under the outline, normal navigation could resume within days if the steps were met. Tehran has ruled out linking the maritime issue to nuclear talks.

The conditions reportedly include an end to hostilities, release of frozen Iranian assets, lifting of restrictions on oil exports and an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Rezaei described control of the strait as a major national asset and said the Gulf cannot be secure without Iranian management of the waterway.

Traffic through Hormuz has fallen. Data from recent days showed average daily transits well below pre-war levels of roughly 17 million barrels of crude. On some days only a handful of tankers completed the passage. US Central Command has redirected more than 100 commercial vessels and disabled several that attempted to run the blockade. On 10 October a US fighter jet struck the stern of the Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica in the Gulf of Oman, disabling its propulsion after the crew ignored warnings.

Iran-linked forces have struck multiple tankers and commercial vessels in and near the strait since late September. One outbound tanker was hit by an unknown projectile on 11 October. Houthi activity in the Red Sea and related strikes have compounded the disruption. Brent crude has remained above $100 a barrel.

President Donald Trump said the United States would not attack Iran before the 3 November midterm elections while discussions continue. He has stated that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused Washington of attacking after rounds of talks.

Qatar continues to mediate. No breakthrough is expected before the US elections or Israel's 27 October vote. The UK Maritime Trade Operations has rated the risk in Hormuz as severe. Shipping companies have rerouted or delayed cargoes, raising costs and delivery times for energy and goods moving between the Gulf and Asian markets.

The standoff leaves the timeline for full reopening uncertain. Each side maintains that free navigation or Iranian control constitutes a core interest. Until mediators produce a text both capitals accept, the combination of blockade enforcement and intermittent attacks is likely to keep volumes reduced and prices elevated.