Iran says US no longer in position to 'dictate' policy to other nations

TEHRAN: Iran said on Tuesday that the United States was no longer able to “dictate” what other countries do, as Washington weighed a new proposal from Tehran on unblocking the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has effectively sealed off the strategic waterway since early in the war with the United States and Israel, sending shockwaves through global energy markets and putting the strait at the centre of negotiations to end the conflict.

“The United States is no longer in a position to dictate its policy to independent nations,” defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik said, according to state TV, adding Washington would “accept that it must abandon its illegal and irrational demands”.

While a ceasefire has halted the fighting between Iran, the US and Israel, talks on bringing a permanent conclusion to the conflict have been inconclusive.

The proposal being considered in Washington would reportedly reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a vital conduit for global oil and gas shipments — as broader negotiations on the war continue.

Talaei-Nik, speaking ahead of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation defence ministers’ meeting, said Iran was also “ready to share its defensive military capabilities with independent countries, especially the member states” of the SCO.