ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s armed forces on Saturday rejected a US military claim that more than one billion barrels of crude oil had passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months with American support, dismissing the assertion as “false” and “ridiculous.”
“The deflection, false claims and ridiculous assertions by the CENTCOM [Central Command] commander regarding the escort of oil tankers and the export of one billion barrels of oil over the past two months are, rather than reflecting reality, a failed psychological operation,” Abolfazl Shekarchi, senior spokesperson for Iran’s Armed Forces, was cited as saying by state-run IRIB News.
The statement came hours after US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Admiral Brad Cooper said in a video posted on X that American forces had “supported more than one billion barrels of crude oil leaving the Gulf” through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months.
Tensions in the Middle East have remained high since the United States and Israel launched a major offensive against Iran in late February, prompting Tehran to retaliate against US interests and allies in the region and disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies.
Several countries, including Qatar, Pakistan and Turkey, have sought to mediate between Tehran and Washington.
Pakistan-hosted talks in June resulted in the two sides signing a memorandum of understanding aimed at halting the fighting and paving the way for a broader agreement. The deal, however, failed to produce a lasting settlement, with both sides later accusing each other of violations.
Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict have continued.
“We are still in contact with the Qatar mediator, which has delivered our conditions to Washington with the aim of ending the war. We are awaiting President Donald Trump’s response,” Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Qatar-based Al Jazeera in an interview aired on Saturday.
Rezaei said Tehran’s conditions included an end to the war on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian funds and an end to the US naval blockade on Iran.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also commented on the conditions on Sunday.
"Our messages and the explanation of our conditions have been clearly conveyed to the other side through intermediaries. The enemy knows well that the path of deception and one-sided imposition is closed. Until these conditions are met, Iran’s legitimate rights are recognised and the Americans fulfil their commitments, there will be no opening for a return to the previous negotiating conditions or for reopening the Strait of Hormuz," Ghalibaf was quoted as saying by state media.
The United States resumed its naval blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas in mid-July. The blockade was first imposed on April 13 before being lifted on June 18 under a temporary agreement with Tehran. It targets maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told private broadcaster NTV late Saturday that there were “new proposals” aimed at ending the US-Iran conflict, expressing hope that the two sides would accept them.
“The crisis has been tolerated to a certain extent, but its economic repercussions are now exceeding the tolerable level,” he said.
Trump has meanwhile raised the prospect of renewed large-scale attacks on Iran as diplomatic efforts continue.
The US president told Axios last week that he was approaching a critical point in deciding whether to resume a major military offensive against Iran, as the months-long conflict continues to weigh on global energy markets.
