Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until they reach a formal understanding with the United States, and that any vessel attempting to pass through will face a major security risk.
Today, Wednesday, 21 October 2026, Iran’s foreign minister accused Washington in an interview of paralyzing the diplomatic track and stressed that Washington’s adherence to the Islamabad memorandum of understanding was the principal condition for taking steps toward negotiations, since the previous three rounds of talks had ended with an attack on Tehran.
Araqchi explained that the aim of the seven-day initiative was to keep the door to diplomacy open, but the United States closed the doors.
Regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Araqchi reiterated that the absence of an agreement meant that restrictions on maritime traffic would continue. He warned that U.S. pressure would not force Tehran to surrender and that, if Washington and Israel attacked again, all options would be on the table, although Iran’s military preparedness was solely defensive in nature.
He also acknowledged that economic sanctions had imposed heavy effects on the livelihoods of the Iranian people, but said that the people were paying this price to preserve their country’s sovereignty and independence.
In another part of the interview, discussing tensions in the Red Sea, Araqchi said that Tehran was not part of this escalation and that the Houthis’ advances toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait had been intended to break the blockade of Yemen. He simultaneously expressed his country’s readiness to mediate between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.
