Qalibaf Says 'Era of One-Sided Agreements' Is Over as Iran Links Hormuz Reopening to New Terms

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has delivered one of Tehran's clearest political messages since the latest escalation with the United States, declaring that "the era of one-sided agreements is over" while signaling that any future arrangements concerning the Strait of Hormuz will reflect conditions set by Iran.

According to Iran's state-run IRIB News Agency, Qalibaf addressed Washington by arguing that previous negotiations could no longer proceed on terms that, in Tehran's view, disproportionately favored one side.

He said the United States should honor its commitments or "pay the price," presenting the statement as a warning that future engagement would require reciprocal obligations.

IRIB reported that Qalibaf also shared an excerpt from Article 5 of a reported 14-article Memorandum of Understanding.

According to the state media report, that provision states that any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would take place under what it described as "Iranian arrangements."

Iranian authorities have not publicly released the full text of the reported memorandum, and its contents have not been independently verified.

The remarks come as the Strait of Hormuz has become the principal point of contention between Tehran and Washington.

Beyond its military significance, the narrow waterway has emerged as a central diplomatic issue, with both governments advancing sharply different interpretations of how navigation should be managed during the current crisis.

Qalibaf's intervention reflects Iran's broader effort to frame maritime access as part of a wider negotiating process rather than solely a security matter.

By linking future passage through the strait to a reported memorandum, Tehran appears to be presenting maritime arrangements as an issue to be addressed alongside broader political understandings, although the precise status and scope of the reported agreement remain unclear.

The political messaging follows a series of military developments that have intensified tensions across the Gulf.

According to earlier Kurdistan24 reporting citing Agence France-Presse (AFP), Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they struck a second vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, alleging that it had violated Iranian navigation regulations. 

In the same announcement, the Guards also claimed responsibility for an attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar. Those claims had not been independently verified at the time of publication.

The reported strike on the second vessel followed an earlier confrontation involving the M/V GFS Galaxy, which U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States has maintained that the incident represented a threat to international commercial shipping, while Iranian officials have continued to argue that vessels operating in the waterway must comply with Iranian navigation requirements.

According to previous Kurdistan24 reporting, the incident involving the M/V GFS Galaxy preceded a large-scale U.S. military operation in which CENTCOM said American forces struck approximately 140 Iranian military targets.

Washington said the operation was intended to reduce capabilities it believes threaten civilian mariners and preserve freedom of navigation through the Gulf's strategic maritime corridor.

The differing positions illustrate how the Strait of Hormuz has evolved into both a military and diplomatic flashpoint.

Tehran has increasingly emphasized its authority over arrangements affecting transit through the waterway, while Washington continues to argue that international commercial shipping should move freely under established principles of navigation.

The stakes extend well beyond the immediate confrontation. The Strait of Hormuz serves as one of the world's most important energy transit routes, carrying a substantial share of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports.

Any uncertainty surrounding access to the passage is closely monitored by governments, energy markets and the international shipping industry because of its potential impact on global trade.

At the same time, diplomatic efforts continue despite the military escalation.

According to AFP, regional mediators remain engaged in attempts to sustain dialogue between Tehran and Washington, even as official statements from both sides underscore profound disagreements over maritime security and future negotiations.

Qalibaf's latest remarks therefore represent more than domestic political messaging.

They underscore Iran's effort to define the terms under which it says future negotiations should proceed, while highlighting how the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz has become intertwined with broader questions of security, diplomacy and regional stability.

Whether those competing positions can be reconciled remains uncertain, but for now they continue to shape the political backdrop to one of the Middle East's most consequential maritime crises.