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Hormuz to Stay Shut Until US Lifts Iranian Port Blockade, Ends Sanctions, Iran Reportedly Says

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Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed to shipping traffic until the US meets the conditions of their bi-lateral interim peace deal agreed in June, the country's parliamentary speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, according to media reports.

He said those conditions include the lifting of a naval blockade, which the US had done when the deal was agreed before reinstating it later, and the lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian assets.

In the midst of the deadlock and a period of relative military calm after recent renewed clashes, most sparring between the foes has been verbal, with US President Donald Trump threatening to annex the Hormuz Strait and Iran retorting that the US cannot seize territory via tweets.

Ghalibaf also said there would need to be an end to military action on all fronts, Al Jazeera reported.

"I want to state clearly that the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until the American commitments stipulated in the memorandum of understanding... are implemented," EuroNews quoted Ghalibaf as saying on state TV.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said a vessel, whose origin it did not mention, had been struck while leaving the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, injuring one of the ship's crew and causing damage to its engine room.

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