Iranian official says Strait of Hormuz will stay shut until Iran's conditions are met
The official tells Reuters Iran will hold no nuclear talks with the United States and will make no concessions on its nuclear programme
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Map: The Gulf and Hormuz, marking Strait of Hormuz
UpdateFriday, September 25, 2026 at 1:15 PM ET
A US official says Washington is in a strong position and controls the Strait of Hormuz, and that the United States is therefore in no hurry to reach an agreement with Iran.
A senior Iranian official tells Reuters that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Iran's conditions are satisfied, and that Iran will not sit down for nuclear talks with the United States until then. The official said Iran will make no concessions on its nuclear programme.
The statement comes after a week in which the two sides appeared to be moving closer. Qatari experts had joined US-Iran talks in New York, and Iran's delegation received US visas after an initial denial, as the talks moved into a technical phase. Sources in Tehran described the negotiations as increasingly detailed and positive, according to Al Jazeera's bureau chief in New York. Iranian President Pezeshkian had said his delegation's discussions with Kushner and Whittaker centred on Iran's rights under international law, and that Iran was asking for nothing beyond that.
Brent crude fell $3 a barrel earlier as those talks advanced, on hopes of a US-Iran truce.
Today's remarks reverse the trajectory of that engagement. The hardline language on non-negotiation and the Strait's closure raises the risk of renewed confrontation, and points to why crude had been retreating. The statement is bearish for risk appetite generally and for the near-term prospects of any Iran deal.