Hormuz standoff ‘not sustainable’, senior Iranian lawmaker tells Euronews

The confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz has reached a critical point, with a senior Iranian official describing the situation as unsustainable. Manouchehr Mottaki, a member of Iran's parliament and former foreign minister, told Euronews that the daily disabling of cargo ships in the vital waterway cannot continue indefinitely.

Daily disruptions

Tehran has imposed its own blockade, allowing vessels from China, India, Iran and Qatar to pass freely while targeting ships from countries aligned with the US. Mottaki stated that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has been working to reduce unauthorized transit to zero over the past 10 days.

The consequences are severe, with multiple ships being immobilized daily. "Every day, three, four, five, or even seven ships are being immobilised or stranded at sea as a result of encounters with mines or drone and missile projectiles," Mottaki explained.

Political fallout

The standoff follows significant political developments in the US, where midterm elections have revealed divisions within the Trump administration over the Iran war. US Vice President JD Vance directly attributed the Republicans' heavy defeat to the Iran conflict, noting that voters who backed Trump in 2024 turned against the party due to the decision to strike Iran.

Trump acknowledged the war's impact on the election results but insisted he would make the same decision again, though he claimed no immediate plans to attack Iran further. US media reports suggest a large joint military operation with Israel remains under consideration.

Diplomatic efforts

As tensions persist, Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei traveled to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin, reportedly carrying a message from Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei focused on ending the war. Rezaei had previously informed Vance that Washington's proposals were insufficient and that all of Tehran's conditions must be met.

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf addressed Vance directly on social media, warning that America is on the verge of falling into Israel's fire pit while Trump prepares for further military action.

Conditions for resolution

The narrow waterway between Iran and Oman is critical to global energy supplies, carrying roughly a fifth of the world's oil. Tehran has stated the strait will reopen only once Washington accepts seven conditions, including ending the US naval blockade, lifting oil sanctions, unfreezing Iranian assets, and halting the broader Middle East conflict.

Mottaki called on Washington to lift its naval blockade as a precondition for resuming talks, emphasizing that ending the blockade is essential to move beyond the current state of neither war nor peace.