Iran's influential Experts Assembly issued a statement Saturday night setting out hard-line demands, including control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for damages, return of frozen assets, removal of sanctions, and the withdrawal of US forces from the region. The body called the conditions 'non-negotiable' and warned that any deviation would draw a response from the Iranian public.
The statement from the Experts Assembly — a body formally charged with selecting and supervising Iran's Supreme Leader, though widely seen as subservient to the regime's hardliners — comes amid stalled negotiations between Tehran and Washington. The Zioneer reported on June 22 that indirect talks in Geneva, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, remain suspended. Iran has refused to return to the table after what it described as threatening statements by President Trump, and has since hardened its position, demanding the release of $24 billion in frozen assets and oil export relief. This latest address from the Assembly represents a further consolidation of the hard-line domestic front behind maximalist negotiating terms. The Strait of Hormuz — already partially blocked by Iran in recent weeks — is explicitly linked to the talks, as previously reported by The Zioneer on June 19 and June 21, when Tehran threatened to keep the waterway closed unless Israeli forces withdraw from Lebanon. Iran has also demanded a permanent ceasefire in Lebanon and a full Israeli withdrawal. The Experts Assembly's statement appears to formalize those demands as red lines, amplifying the internal pressure on Iran's negotiating team.
2 developments
- DevelopingIranian parliamentary official: Hormuz Strait not won by negotiation, won't be ceded by negotiation
- StrongIran refuses to reverse Hormuz Strait policy, won't commit to deal even in second phase
- StrongIRGC spokesman denies JD Vance claim of US-Iran cooperation arrangement in Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingIranian negotiator says Strait of Hormuz 'will never return' to pre-war status
Source and signal
- Internal intake