Iran stated it will continue charging fees for services in the Strait of Hormuz amid reported talks with the US, and that the release of frozen Iranian funds is an integral part of any agreement. Tehran also demanded that foreign military bases in the region be dismantled. Pakistan announced an online signing ceremony for the US-Iran agreement will be held Wednesday in Islamabad, but Iran denied its team plans to visit Geneva or travel in the coming days, according to the same reports.
Iran has formally linked the release of its frozen assets and the removal of foreign military bases to any agreement with the United States, according to reports aggregated from Middle Eastern media on Wednesday evening. This escalates Tehran's stated terms beyond earlier demands focused solely on fees for Strait of Hormuz passage. These new conditions were reported alongside Pakistan's announcement of an online signing ceremony for a US-Iran agreement in Islamabad on Wednesday, a claim that Iran denied, stating its team has no plans to travel to Geneva or elsewhere in the coming days.
The thread began at 22:35 Jerusalem on June 12, when Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi first stated that the Strait of Hormuz's management would not return to its pre-war status and that a joint statement with Oman was imminent. Over subsequent reports that evening, Araghchi specified that passage would no longer be free (version 2), that a joint plan with Oman would impose navigation fees (versions 4, 5), and that a digital signing of a US-Iran memorandum was expected within days (version 6). He also clarified under international law the fees are for services, not taxes (version 7). A single report then quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Esmail Baghaei reiterating the fee plan, and another quoted Araghchi linking the fees to the release of frozen assets (versions 8, 9). The latest demands add the removal of foreign bases to the frozen-assets condition, while Pakistan's ceremony announcement and Iran's denial introduce new uncertainty about the signing format.
The broader context includes the US campaign of strikes on Iranian assets, which The Zioneer reported as a 'proportional' response on June 10, followed by President Trump's confirmation of an imminent 60-day ceasefire and Strait of Hormuz reopening on June 12, 00:07 Jerusalem. Iran's new conditions appear to harden its position, insisting that the frozen funds are integral to any deal and that foreign bases in the region must be dismantled, while the US has pressed for an agreement after weeks of military strikes.
Several key points remain unverified: the conflicting accounts of a signing ceremony in Islamabad versus Iran's denial of travel plans have not been reconciled; the full text of the reported demands has not been independently confirmed; and it remains unclear whether the demand for the removal of foreign bases is a new precondition or a negotiating position.
10 developments
- StrongIranian Foreign Ministry spokesman: vessels to pay 'navigation, insurance, environmental' fees in Hormuz
- DevelopingIranian FM: Strait of Hormuz is not international waters, but a shared maritime route with Oman
- DevelopingBarak Betesh (i24NEWS) scrutinizes Trump’s claim on toll-free Hormuz, noting Iran switched to insurance fee instead
- StrongIran Demands Hormuz Revenue, Says Trump Post Contradicts Interim Deal
Source and signal
- Internal intake