Iran's Supreme National Security Council issued six demands to reopen Strait of Hormuz

The declaration, reportedly attributed to SNSC Secretary Mohammad-Bagher Zolqadr, asserts that the strategic waterway will remain closed to international traffic until the United States fundamentally alters its regional conduct. The six demands formulated by Iran's highest security body are: the cessation of all threats against Iran; an end to hostilities against the Islamic Republic and its regional allies; the full withdrawal of U.S. military forces from the Middle East; the payment of compensation for past conflicts; the removal of all international sanctions; and the unconditional release of all frozen Iranian assets.

Strategic Leverage and Context

This move follows a period of intense maritime friction in the Persian Gulf. As The Zioneer reported earlier, the Strait of Hormuz has been under an effective Iranian blockade since June 2026, leading to a direct kinetic confrontation with the United States. While recent diplomatic efforts involving Oman and Pakistan suggested a potential framework for reopening the waterway, Tehran's latest demands appear to raise the bar for any normalization of shipping.

Previously, Iranian officials had attempted to formalize a 7% transit fee on vessels passing through the strait, a move rejected by the U.S. and Gulf states. This latest list of demands shifts the focus from economic extortion to broader geopolitical concessions. The insistence on an end to operations against Iranian "allies" likely refers to the various terror factions in Lebanon and Gaza, further complicating the security landscape for Israel.

Analysis and Outlook

The SNSC's stance represents a maximalist position that contradicts recent U.S. assessments. Only weeks ago, senior U.S. officials expressed high confidence that a deal was nearing that would reopen the strait "with no tolls" in exchange for a cessation of the American naval blockade of Iranian infrastructure. By issuing these six demands, Tehran is signaling that it does not view the current U.S. military leverage as sufficient to force a reopening without significant American concessions.

For Israel and the international community, the continued closure of the world's most critical oil chokepoint remains a primary driver of regional instability. The situation remains developing as Washington and regional capitals evaluate whether these demands are a final bargaining position or a sign of prolonged maritime paralysis.